Indian armed forces salute 'corona warriors' in nationwide thanksgiving events

Fly-pasts by fighter jets, aerial flower shower, performances by military bands at major hospitals and lighting up of warships marked the nation-wide mega exercise by the armed forces on Sunday to express gratitude to lakhs of doctors, paramedics and other front-line workers battling the coronavirus pandemic.

Indian Air Force's combat jets and transport aircraft flew over various state capitals including Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Guwahati, Patna, Lucknow, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram to salute the "corona warriors".

Army's military bands also performed at leading hospitals treating coronavirus patients across the country.

A fleet of military jets comprising Sukhoi-30 MKI, MiG-29 and Jaguar roared over the Rajpath, Delhi's centrepiece boulevard, and then orbited the national capital region for around 30 minutes from 11 AM. Residents in many areas witnessed the spectacular fly-past from their balconies amid the ongoing lockdown.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the thanks-giving activities as "great gesture by our armed forces."
Wing Commander Abhishek Yadav, who was the co-ordinating officer for the exercise, said, "Usually people thank the armed forces, but this time we paid our gratitude to people at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19."