Meet the Man, Leading India’s Search for MH370
Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, Mar 13: Air Marshal, P K Roy PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM, ADC, Commander – in- Chief of Andaman & Nicobar Command has been nominated as Overall Force Commander of Indian Forces including from Mainland for the search operation of the missing Malaysian Jet.
Meanwhile the search mission for the Malaysian Aircraft has been given Code named “Operation Search Light”.
One Dornier 228 of Indian Navy positioned at Car Nicobar from Port Blair.
“Awaiting clearance from Flight Information Centre Chennai. One AF C-130J positioned at Kalaikonda and one en route to Port Blair. One Navy P8I Maritime aircraft is also en route to Port Blair Blair from mainland. Ships from Eastern Naval Command on stand by. Operations in coordination with Malaysian Armed Forces,” Col Harmit Singh the PRO of ANC said here today.
A trained helicopter pilot, Air Marshal Roy has 4,500 hours of flying experience and is also a qualified flying instructor.
He has held a number of high ranking positions, including as the commander of the air force station in New Delhi, and the commandant of the National Defence College, also in the Indian capital. He has also served as the military and air attaché at the Indian Embassy in Ukraine between 2002 to 2005.
Air Marshal Roy has been awarded a number of medals for distinguished service, including the Vayu Sena, Vishist Seva and Ati Vishist Seva Medal.
He will coordinate India’s search as it joins 10 other nations, including the U.S. and China, in the hunt for MH370 after it vanished from the sky early Saturday. Earlier this week, India had offered Malaysia all possible assistance in looking for the aircraft carrying 277 passengers, including five Indians, and 12 crew.
