84 security personnel to get top gallantry awards
HONOURS One Kirti Chakra, 9 Shaurya Chakras announced for bravehearts
NEWDELHI: A Jammu and Kashmir police constable, a Special Forces officer and an Indian Air Force pilot are among the 84 security personnel whose names have been approved for top gallantry awards by President Ram Nath Kovind on the eve of Independence Day, according to a government release issued on Friday.
While head constable Abdul Rashid Kalas of JKP has been posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra — India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award — for outstanding bravery, nine security personnel have earned the Shaurya Chakra for valour. The latter is the country’s third-highest peacetime gallantry award. The Shaurya Chakra awardees are Lieutenant Colonel Krishan Singh Rawat, Major Anil Urs, Havildar Alok Kumar Dubey, Wing Commandeer Vishak Nair, JKP DIG Amit Kumar, CISF subinspector Mahaveer Prasad Godara (posthumous), CISF head constable Eranna Nayaka (posthumous), CISF constable Mahendra Kumar Paswan (posthumous) and CISF constable Satish Prasad Kushwaha (posthumous). The other decorations awarded are five Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 60 Sena Medals (Gallantry), four Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and five Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).
Lieutenant Colonel Rawat, 1 Para (Special Forces), has been awarded the Shaurya Chakra for an operation near the LOC in J&K. Rawat and his team waited in ambush for 36 hours before they engaged a group of terrorist infiltrators. Four terrorists were killed in the operation.
Major Urs also led an operation along the LOC in which five terrorist infiltrators were killed. His citation says he displayed “raw courage, marksmanship and combat leadership.” During a counterterrorism operation in Kashmir, Havildar Dubey killed a Category A++ terrorist. “His courageous action...resulted in the elimination of all four terrorists,” his citation said.
List of awards to the armed forces personnel and members of paramilitary forces
LIEUTENANT COLONEL
Sena medal first battalion, The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces)
MAJOR
4th battalion The Maratha Light Infantry
HAVILDAR
The Rajput Regiment, 44th battalion, The Rashtriya Rifles
WING COMMANDER (Flying (Pilot)