NEW DELHI: India’s second-highest gallantry medal Kirti Chakra has been awarded to Major Manjit and posthumously to Naik Dilwar Khan for displaying conspicuous bravery during fierce anti-terror operations in J&K, while 14 military and CAPF personnel have been conferred with Shaurya Chakras on the occasion of Republic Day this year.
In all, 93 armed forces and CAPF personnel have been awarded gallantry medals, 11 of them posthumously. Major Manijit (22 Rashtriya Rifles) was tracking foreign terrorists near a village in J&K’s Sopore district in April last year when one of them opened heavy fire.
The officer first rescued a civilian and two children trapped at encounter site and eliminated the terrorist.
Naik Khan (28 RR) in turn, was part of a counter-terror operation in the dense jungles of Lolab Valley in J&K’s Kupwara district in July last year. Sensing a grave threat to his team from heavy gunfire, Naik Khan showed complete disregard for his personal safety and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a terrorist and killed him before succumbing to his own wounds.
Shaurya Chakra, the third-highest gallantry medal, has been awarded posthumously to Captain Deepak Singh (48 RR), Havildar Rohit Kumar (Dogra) and Vijayan Kutty G (Border Roads Organisation).
The other recipients are Majors Ashish Dahiya (50 RR), Kunal (1 RR) and Satender Dhankar (4 RR), Subedars Vikas Tomar (1 Para-SF) and Mohan Ram (20 Jat), Havildar Prakash Tamang (32 RR) and Assam Rifles assistant commandant Eshenthung Kikon.
Flight Lieutenant Aman Singh Hans and Corporal Dabhi Sanjay Hiffabai Essa of the IAF as well as CRPF deputy commandant Vikrant Kumar and inspector Jeffrey Hmingchullo are the other Shaurya Chakra awardees.
Flight Lieutenant Hans displayed exceptional courage to recover and land his MiG-29 jet after its canopy blew off at an altitude of 28,000-feet during a night sortie in March last year.
The two CRPF officials, in turn, displayed extraordinary valour in a fierce encounter with Naxals in Chatra in Jharkhand in April 2023.