Indian Air Force ace pilot Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman was accorded the Vir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind in an investiture ceremony on Monday.
Abhinandan Varthaman was recently promoted to the rank of Group Captain.
He has been accorded the Vir Chakra for shooting down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft during aerial combat on February 27, 2019, 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.
🔲 Watch: Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman awarded #VirChakra for shooting down Pak F-16 #GroupCaptainAbhinandanVarthaman pic.twitter.com/U7UqOQoNkd
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) November 22, 2021
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.
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.
🔲 #Delhi: Sapper Prakash Jadhav from Corps of Engineers accorded the second-highest peacetime gallantry award #KirtiChakra (posthumously) for neutralising terrorists in an operation in J&K.
His wife and mother receive the award from President Ram Nath Kovind. pic.twitter.com/9uB3SfaQ83
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) November 22, 2021
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.
🔲 #Delhi: Major #VibhutiShankarDhoundiyal 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 receive the award from the President. pic.twitter.com/tD5qjunQSB
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) November 22, 2021
(With ANI Inputs)
