Fighter jets screaming over the sacred ghats of the Ganga — Varanasi turned skyward on Sunday, 25 October 2026, as the Indian Air Force marked its 94th anniversary with a dramatic air display titled 'Wings Over Ganges', staged along the city's iconic riverfront in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh confirmed CM Yogi's participation through an official post on X, calling the moment live as it unfolded.

Fighter aircraft over the ghats of Kashi

The air show brought IAF combat aircraft swooping low over the Ganga's ghats in a setting that merged military spectacle with Varanasi's ancient riverside identity. The event was a centrepiece of the IAF's 94th Raising Day — the force was founded on 8 October 1932 — and chose Varanasi, PM Modi's own parliamentary constituency, as its stage for 2026. The choice amplified both the scale of the audience and the symbolism of the venue: a city that draws millions of pilgrims and tourists to the same ghats that now served as a backdrop for India's air power.

Why Varanasi, why the ghats

The IAF has a tradition of rotating its anniversary air displays across Indian cities to broaden public engagement with defence capabilities. Staging 'Wings Over Ganges' at the Ganga ghats fuses two of Varanasi's defining identities — its spiritual resonance and its status as the Prime Minister's home constituency — into a single, high-visibility national moment. For residents and visitors crowding the riverbanks, the sight of combat jets banking over temple spires and the evening light on the river was both a civic event and a display of national reach.

Two of UP's most powerful presences, one riverside stage

The simultaneous presence of PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath at the event underscores Uttar Pradesh's continuing centrality in the national political and security calendar. CM Yogi, who has led the state since 2017, routinely accompanies the Prime Minister at high-profile events in the state; here, the occasion is squarely ceremonial and defence-focused. The IAF air show, by its nature, is a show of institutional strength — not policy initiative — but the political optics of India's two most prominent Bharatiya Janata Party leaders sharing the Varanasi ghats for a defence milestone carry their own weight.

The Ganga watched. The jets flew. And Kashi, for an afternoon, belonged as much to the Indian Air Force as it did to history.