Team News Riveting
New Delhi, November 22
The “Hero” of Balakot strike, Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman was awarded the Vir Chakra on Monday by President Ram Nath Kovind in an investiture ceremony for shooting down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft on February 27, 2019.
The fighter pilot exhibited exemplary courage even in the captivity of Pakistan after his aircraft was hit by a missile that forced him to eject and land in the enemy territory. Vir Chakra is India’s third highest wartime gallantry award after Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra.
Abhinandan, who was recently promoted to the rank of Group Captain, shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft during aerial combat on February 27 a day after the Balakot airstrike. In the process, he flew over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and his MiG-21 was hit and he had to eject over the territory controlled by the enemy.
He was then taken into custody by the Pakistan Army. The Pakistan Army was forced to release him due to the extensive pressure exerted by the Indian side along with international intervention into the matter. The citation said, “Despite being captured by the enemy, he continued to display exceptional resolve in dealing with the adversary in a stoic, brave and dignified manner till he was repatriated on March 1, 2019.”
Abhinandan was part of the Srinagar-based 51 squadron and had flown to thwart an aerial attack launched by the Pakistanis on February 27, 2019. India had launched an aerial strike on Pakistan’s terrorist facility in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area run by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) on February 26.
President Kovind accorded the second-highest peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra (posthumously) to Sapper Prakash Jadhav for neutralising terrorists in an operation in Jammu and Kashmir. His wife and mother received the award.
Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal was accorded the Shaurya Chakra (posthumously) for his role in an operation where five terrorists were eliminated and 200 kg explosive material was recovered. His wife Lt Nitika Kaul and mother received the award.
President Kovind presented Shaurya Chakra (posthumously) to Naib Subedar Sombir for killing an A++ category terrorist during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir. His wife Suman Devi and mother Rajendra Devi received the honour.
