Diving facility named after 1971 Indo-Pak war hero opened

A new diving training facility named after veteran Naval diver Chiman Singh, a hero of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, was inaugurated at the Southern Naval Command (SNC) here today.
The modern facility, located at the Diving School in the command, was declared open jointly by SNC Chief of Staff Rear Admiral RJ Nadkarni and Singh, a retired Petty Officer Clearance Diver, a Navy release said.
Singh was awarded the country's second highest gallantry award the Maha Vir Chakra for his courageous actions in rescuing several of his colleagues during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
This is the highest gallantry award ever received by a Naval person in the country.

As anyoung diver in the rank of Leading Seaman then, Singh, deployed off the Bangladesh coast, had displayed unparallelled gallantry despite being severely injured.
He was eventually taken prisoner-of-war and released on culmination of the conflict, the release said.

Singh was recognised by the Bangladesh government in 2013 for his actions during the War of Liberation and honoured with the Friends of Bangladesh Liberation award.
The Chiman Singh Block Diving facility here houses state-of-the art re-compression chamber complex, a laboratory as well as modern stores and will make training comparable with the best in the world.
Speaking on the occasion, Rear Admiral Nadkarni extolled the bravery of Singh and exhorted everyone to take motivation from such brave acts.

He said it was only apt that the new diving facility was dedicated to a brave diver and expressed confidence that this would inspire many generations of young naval personnel to bring honour to themselves, the service and the country.