NEW DELHI: Sepoy
Vrahma Pal Singh of Rajput Regiment, who heroically laid down his life in a fierce counter-insurgency operation in which three terrorists were killed at Pulwama in J&K last November, has been posthumously awarded the
Kirti Chakra, the country’s second-highest peacetime bravery medal.
Rifleman Aurangzeb of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, who was abducted, video-taped during interrogation and then killed by terrorists while on way to his home at village Salani in Poonch for Eid in June, in turn, is among the 20
Shaurya Chakra awardees in this year’s Independence Day gallantry list.
Apart from himself taking part in several operations, during one of which he rescued an injured soldier and wounded three terrorists, Aurangzeb became a target for the terrorists because he was the “buddy” of his company commander Major Rohit Shukla, who had killed dreaded terrorist Sameer Tiger.
Major Aditya Kumar of the 10 Garhwal Rifles, who led an operation in Budgam in which four terrorists were killed last November, has also been awarded the country’s third-highest peacetime gallantry medal. Major Kumar had also hit the headlines in January when he was named in an FIR by the J&K police after his unit had opened fire in face of their convoy being surrounded by a violent stone-pelting mob that even tried to lynch a junior commissioner officer at Shopian, leading to three civilians being killed.
The other Shaurya Chakra awardees from Army are Lt-Colonel Arjun Sharma (Jat), Majors Pawan Gautam (Engineers) and Pawan Kumar (Jat), Captains Kaninder Paul Singh (Rajput) and Rajesh Jayesh Varma (Rajput), Naib Subedars Anil Kumar Dhaiya (Para) and Vijay Kumar Yadav (Maratha Li), Havildars Kul Bahadur Thapa (Para-SF) and Jaweed Ahmad Bhat (Para-SF), Grenadier Ranjit Singh (Artillery). Two soldiers are from Assam Rifles, Jaiprakash Oraon (posthumous) and Rathva Lilesh Bhai.
Captain P Rajkumar from the Navy, who flew daredevil missions in his Sea King helicopter to rescue several people during severe cyclonic storm Ockhi last December, has also been awarded the Shaurya Chakra. It was also awarded to CRPF personnel, deputy commandant Kuldeep Singh Chahar, head constable A S Krishna, constables K Dinesh Raja and Prafulla Kumar, and Dhanawade Ravindra Baban (posthumous).
The six women naval officers who undertook an arduous voyage of eight months to circumnavigate the globe on a sail boat under the “Navika Sagar Parikrama” expedition, Lt-Commanders Vartika Joshi, Pratibha Jamwal and Swati P, and Lieutenants Aishwarya Boddapati, S Vijaya Devi and Payal Gupta, have been awarded the Nao Sena Medal for gallantry.
Picture: Northern Command, Indian Army (Twitter)
