Chennai: Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre met Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman at Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi Cantonment on Sunday.
The Minister met Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman a day after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa met the IAF pilot.
The security agencies had been checking for any bugs which could have been implanted in the pilot but according to an MRI scan, no such bugs have been found, a source said on Sunday. The scan also showed lower spine injury that could have happened upon being ejected from his MiG-21 fighter plane after a dogfight with Pakistani F-16 jets that day, the source said.
A medical examination of the Wing Commander has identified a rib injury probably caused by an assault by local residents in Pakistan soon after he parachuted across the border on Wednesday. Wing Commander Varthaman will undergo more check-ups and treatment at the Research and Referral Hospital for the next 10 days, the source said.
During a separate meeting with the Air Chief, the IAF pilot is believed to have briefed Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa about his detention in Pakistan, officials said.