Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005
Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 |
| National | ||||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | National
Special Correspondent
RECOGNISING HEROES: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presenting the Shaurya Chakra (posthumous) to the wife of Major Lalit Prakash at the Defence Investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday. — Photo: R.V. Moorthy
NEW DELHI: The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, on Tuesday conferred three Kirti Chakras and 19 Shaurya Chakras on armed forces personnel and civilians who displayed "conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty." The President also conferred 14 Param Vishisht Seva medals, one Uttam Yudh Seva medal, one Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva medal and 25 Ati Vishisht Seva medals to senior officers of the armed forces for distinguished service of an exceptional order. As in the past, the President dispensed with tradition and walked up to the kin of the 15 officers and men who died in anti-insurgency operations in the North-east and in Jammu and Kashmir. He also walked up to Capt. Perikalamkattil Abraham Mathew who recently emerged from a coma, following head injuries suffered during an anti-terrorist operation in which he shot dead two militants in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. The Kirti Chakra, the country's second highest peacetime award for gallantry, was conferred posthumously on two young army Lieutenants, Kanavdeep Singh (10 Sikh) and Dheerendra Singh Atri (3 Rajput). Lt. Singh suffered excessive blood loss while gunning down two terrorists and injuring another and Lt. Atri's bravery and courage led to the elimination of eight terrorists, of which three were shot dead by the martyred officer alone. The third winner of the award was Sudhir Kumar Sharma, an Indian Air Force helicopter pilot who landed his Cheetah on an unprepared 23,000-feet mountain top amidst winds exceeding 120 kmph to rescue three injured members of a mountaineering expedition.
Civilian awards
Among the Shaurya Chakra awardees was a casual paid labourer, Shiring Dorjee, who held off a dozen armed intruders at a Manipur hospital till Assam Rifles personnel posted nearby arrived. Other awardees included Subedar Kehar Singh (posthumous), Subedar Prit Pal Singh, Naik Anil Kumar (posthumous), Major Aditya Chauhan, Sepoy Kiran Kumar (posthumous), Subedar Khilona Singh (posthumous), Paratrooper Chetan Kumar Rana (posthumous), Havildar Virendra Singh (posthumous), Rifleman Hasta Bahadur Gurung (posthumous), Sapper G. Prakash (posthumous), Sepoy Jasbir Singh, Captain Vivek Mishra, Major Lalit Prakash (posthumous), Gunner Bobichen Koyikalam Alex, Subedar Moshat Lamkang (posthumous), Havildar S. Samy Kannan (posthumous) and Lance Naik Pappu Ram (2688156) (posthumous). Of the 22 Kirti and Shaurya Chakra medals, 15 were posthumous. Of these, 14 were for operations in Jammu and Kashmir and seven in the North-east. Of the 14 medals for bravery during counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir, nine were for the pre-ceasefire period and five after the Army guns had fallen silent on both sides of the border.
Distinguished services
Among the 42 officers awarded for distinguished services was the Olympic Games silver medallist, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who was conferred the Ati Vishisht Seva medal "for distinguished service of an exceptional order."
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | The Hindu Images | Home |
Copyright © 2005, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
