Remembering Ratlam's Maharaja who donated his aircraft during 1962 Indo-China war

Members of the Rathore dynasty shared pictures of an aircraft owned by Maharaja Lokendra Singh of Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam on his death anniversary. The aircraft was donated by the late King to the country during the 1962 Indo-China war.

Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): On the death anniversary of Maharaja Lokendra Singh from the Rathore dynasty of Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam, his family made public pictures of an aircraft owned by the late King that he had donated to the country during the 1962 Indo-China war.

The pictures were shared by members of the Rathore dynasty - Dhirendra Singh Rathore and Digvijay Singh Rathore.

Responding to the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's calls to donate money and jewellery to the Defence of India Fund to help finance the war, Maharaja Lokendra Singh had offered his five-seater aircraft along with 200 guns - 33 Winchester- that belonged to his platoon known as “Lokendra Paltan” to the nation.

"The King used to own a five-seater aircraft which he had donated to the country during the 1962 Indo-China war alongwith a significant amount of arms and ammunitions. He had US-made Winchester guns," said Dhirendra Singh Rathore.

Apart from donating his much-cherished plane, the late King had also donated a significant amount of money during the crisis.

"He had also sold a few plots of land in Ratlam's Freeganj area and donated the money to the Defence of India Fund, " said Digvijay Singh Rathore

Singh, a skilled pilot, had bought the aircraft for his personal use and had even constructed an airstrip in Doshi village of the district.