Anti-terror heroes get top gallantry honours
Among the 127 gallantry medals and 40 distinguished service awards cleared by the President on the eve of the 79th Independence Day are four Kirti Chakras, 15 Vir Chakras, 16 Shaurya Chakras, two bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 58 Sena Medals (Gallantry), six Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), 26 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), seven Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals, nine Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and 24 Yudh Seva Medals, the defence ministry said.
Vir Chakra is India's third-highest wartime honour, and has been awarded to soldiers who demonstrated uncommon valour during Operation Sindoor --- India's direct military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror strike.
The Vir Chakra awardees are Colonel Koshank Lamba, Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht, Naib Subedar Satish Kumar, Rifleman Sunil Kumar, Group Captain Ranjeet Singh Sidhu, Group Captain Manish Arora, Group Captain Animesh Patni, Group Captain Kunal Kalra, Wing Commander Joy Chandra, Squadron Leader Sarthak Kumar, Squadron Leader Siddhant Singh, Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik, Flight Lieutenant Aarshveer Singh, BSF Sub Inspector Mohd Imteyaz (Posthumous) and Constable Deeapk Chingakham (Posthumous).
All the Indian Air Force (IAF) Vir Chakra awardees are pilots. The defence ministry did not release the citations of the military awardees. The Kirti Chakras and Shaurya Chakras --- India's second and third-highest peacetime gallantry awards are not linked to Operation Sindoor.
The bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry) and Sena Medals (Gallantry) have been awarded for both Operation Sindoor and counter-terrorism operations, people aware of the matter said, asking not to be named. Two Agniveers have been awarded Sena Medal (Gallantry) for the first time. The Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals, Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and Yudh Seva Medals have been awarded to soldiers for their role in Operation Sindoor, the people said.
The Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal awardees include Northern Army commander Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, director general military operations Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, IAF vice chief Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, South Western Air Command chief Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, Western Air Command chief Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, director general air operations Air Marshal AK Bharti and then Western Naval Command chief Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh (retd).
The Kirti Chakra has been awarded to Captain Lalrinawwa Sailo, Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari, Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundaram A and Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar.
The President also approved 290 Mention-in-Despatches.
India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 and struck terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the Pahalgam terror strike in which 26 people were killed. Between the launch of the operation in the early hours of May 7 and the ceasefire on May 10 evening, Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, killing at least 100 terrorists, and the Indian Air Force struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations.
The nine terror camps hit by the Indian forces with a mix of missiles and smart munitions included Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur, Markaz Taiba near Muridke, Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot, Sawai Nala and Syed Na Bilal in Muzaffarabad, Gulpur and Abbas in Kotli, Barnala in Bhimber, and Sarjal.
The targets in Bahawalpur and Muridke were hit by the IAF; the rest by the army.
The air force also struck military targets in Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur, Sialkot, Skardu, Sargodha, Jacobabad, Bholari and Malir Cantt in Karachi.
In one of the counterstrikes on the night of May 7-8, Islamabad launched aerial attacks using drones and missiles at multiple towns and cities, including Awantipora, Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Phalodi, Suratgarh, Uttarlai, Nal and Bhuj. India's air defence shield fended off the attacks.
In an address to soldiers, defence minister Rajnath Singh said Operation Sindoor was a balanced military response that signalled India is no longer bound by traditional boundaries, but is using modern technology, accurate intelligence and smart military strategies to target terror.
'It was a clear message from India that we are tolerant, but when it comes to the safety of our people and the dignity of our country, we unite and face every challenge boldly. Operation Sindoor is a part of India's new policy, a clear message that no matter how deep the roots of terrorism are, its complete destruction will be ensured,' he said.
The success of Operation Sindoor will be celebrated at the Independence Day function at Red Fort on Friday. A Mi-17 helicopter will fly a flag depicting Operation Sindoor, the invitation cards carry the operation's distinct logo, the view cutter at Gyanpath will also showcase the logo, and the floral decoration will be based on the operation.
At least five Pakistani combat jets and a large surveillance aircraft were shot down by Indian air defence weapons, primarily the S-400 system, during the four days of hostilities between the two countries in May, chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said last week, the first official acknowledgment of such successes by the Indian side.
Air Chief Marshal Singh, who was delivering a public lecture in Bengaluru, said attacks by the Indian military also destroyed or damaged at least two Pakistani command and control centres, at least six big and small radars, two surface-to-air guided weapons (SAGW) systems, and the runways and hangars at the airbases in Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Bholari and Jacobabad.
Sons of former IAF chiefs among heroes
Among the Operation Sindoor heroes decorated with medals are the sons of two former IAF chiefs. The 26 IAF personnel awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) include Group Captain Omar Browne and Squadron Leader Mihir Vivek Chaudhari. Both of them are fighter pilots, like their fathers. While Omar is the son of Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne (retd), Mihir's father Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari was the IAF chief until last year.
Sena medals for Agniveers
Two Agniveers have been awarded Sena Medal (Gallantry) for the first time. It is unclear if they have been hailed for Operation Sindoor or counter-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir. To be sure, more than 3,000 Agniveers --- barely 20 years old and recruited during the last two years --- manned critical weapons and systems integral to the army's hardy air defence (AD) shield activated during Operation Sindoor, which Pakistan couldn't punch through despite launching wave after wave of missile and drone attacks on multiple Indian military installations, airbases and cities during the May 7-10 clash between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
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