Surgical Strike On Pakistan: Army Heroes Honoured With Gallantry Awards By President

To mark the surgical strike on Pakistan a success, the Indian President Pranab Mukherjee honored the army heros with gallantry awards on Monday. 

Major Rohit Suri of the Parachute Regiment was conferred the second highest peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra for successfully leading the army team that carried out cross-border surgical strike last year. Major Suri’s showed exemplary leadership and courage beyond the call of duty and eliminated four terrorists in close-quarter combat.

Member of the same team, Naib Subedar Vijay Kumar was honored with the Shaurya Chakra for gunning down two terrorists.

Along with them, Corporal Gursevak Singh of the Indian Air Force (Security), who was killed while fighting terrorists at the Pathankot air base in January last year, was posthumously conferred the Shaurya Chakra.

In an official release, the President’s office confirmed that “Posthumous winners of the third highest peacetime gallantry award are: Ashu Singh, a Chief Mechanical Engineer who died while trying to control a fire onboard aircraft carrier INS Viraat last year; Naik Shinde Shankar Chandrabhan who died in an operation against terrorists in Kupwara; Captain Tushar Mahajan, Lance Naik Om Prakash and Captain Pawan Kumar who died fighting terrorists hiding in a Pampore building in February 2016.”

The President also presented 22 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, one Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, three Uttam Yuddh Seva Medals and 15 Param Vishisht Seva Medals.

Param Vishisht Seva Medal winners included Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi, head of Eastern Command of the Indian Army, and Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Unni, Director General Armed Forces Medical Services.