AP Singh meets president ahead of retirement as IAF shifts farewell ceremony amid golf course row

New Delhi: Outgoing chief of the air staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, called on the president, Droupadi Murmu, at Rashtrapati Bhavan a day before his retirement on Friday. ACM Singh was accompanied by his wife Sarita during his meeting with the president.

His final formal engagements came amid speculation about the cancellation of a traditional “golfing out” farewell following the closure of an IAF sports complex in New Delhi.

The President’s Secretariat confirmed the meeting in an official post on X. The interaction was not unprecedented, as Rashtrapati Bhavan records show ACM Singh had previously met Murmu in August and on earlier occasions.

The defence minister, Rajnath Singh also met the outgoing chief ahead of his superannuation. In a separate official X communication, the defence ministry highlighted ACM Singh’s leadership during his 42 years of service, his contribution to strengthening operational capabilities and his role in the execution of Operation Sindoor.

The formal farewell engagements took place as a planned golfing-out ceremony was cancelled at the Air Force sports complex on Lok Kalyan Marg, near the prime minister’s residence. As RNA Media reported on Wednesday, members were informed that the facility would close from 5am on October 28 until further orders.

The golfing-out is a longstanding, informal farewell tradition in which serving and retired officers play a round with the departing air chief, the club’s patron-in-chief. Its cancellation three days before Singh’s retirement drew attention to the timing of the shutdown.

The closure is linked to a government land-reclamation exercise overseen by the land and development office (L&DO) under the ministry of housing and urban affairs. An IAF spokesperson told Hindustan Times that the L&DO had surveyed the facility, which also houses training amenities for airmen and Agniveers, and that further action remained under discussion.

The timing prompted speculation that Singh had been deprived of a customary send-off. However, no publicly verified evidence establishes that authorities closed the complex specifically to target him or prevent the ceremony. The government has not publicly clarified the property’s future use.

Meanwhile, in a significant development, the IAF has shifted the ceremonial guard of honour for the outgoing and incoming air chiefs to Race Course Air Force station for the first time. According to Hindustan Times, ACM Singh will receive his farewell guard of honour at the station’s parade ground on Saturday, while his successor, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, will be accorded a similar ceremony on Sunday. Traditionally held near Air Headquarters at South Block, the ceremonies have been relocated to accommodate a larger gathering. The station remains operational despite the closure of the sports complex within its premises.

Singh, commissioned in December 1984, recently flew his final IAF sortie in a Kiran trainer alongside his first flying instructor, bringing his flying career full circle. He is expected to conclude his service with ceremonial engagements, including a wreath-laying at the national war memorial.

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, currently vice-chief of the air staff, will become the 29th air chief, in the rank of air chief marshal, from Saturday afternoon, according to the defence ministry.