Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be conferred with India’s third-highest wartime medal, Vir Chakra on the occasion of Independence Day of India. He will be awarded with such a major honor for shooting down a Pakistani F-16 aircraft on February 27th during an aerial battle between Indian Air Force and Pakistan Air Force, just a day after Balakot strikes.
The 36-year-old IAF pilot had suffered injuries while ejecting from his MiG-21 Bison during the serial combat. Abhinandan became the face of a tense military confrontation between India and Pakistan and is in line to fly MiG-21 within a few days as a medical board confirmed that he soon will be fit to take a seat in the fighter cockpit.
Abhinandan was captured by the Pakistani army on 27th February after his MIG-21 Bison was shot down in the Pakistani territory during a dogfight with the Pakistani jets. Before his jet was shot down he had destroyed an F-16 fighter plane of the Pakistani air force. He was on 1st of March by Pakistan on the back of Geneva Convention.
Sapper Prakash Jadhav who sacrificed his life during an encounter with terrorists at Kulgam in November last year and CRPF deputy Comdt Harshpal Singh will be honored with Kirti Chakras Respectively. Shaurya Chakras will be awarded to other 14 personnel who showed their bravery on the field.
Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra are the second and third highest gallantry awards respectively after Ashoka Chakra in the field of peacetime. Vir Chakra comes third after Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra in wartime which means in the presence of an
enemy.
Indian Air Force’s Squadron Leader Minty Agarwal will be conferred with the Yuddh Seva Medal as she depicted her role of fighter controller with much bravery during the 27th February aerial fight.
