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Ashok Chakra for three Army personnel

NEW DELHI: Three Army personnel will be awarded the Ashok Chakra, posthumously, by the President on Republic Day. They are Colonel V. Vasanth, Captain R. Harshan and Naib Subedar Chuni.

Col. Vasanth of 9 Maratha Light Infantry laid down his life in an operation to flush out militants near Uri town in Jammu and Kashmir. He is survived by his wife Subhashini, a Bharatanatyam dancer; daughters Rukmani and Yashodha and parents.

Captain Harshan was a tough officer endowed with uncommon tenacity which reflected in his relentless pursuit of terrorists in the harsh confines of the Lolab valley of Jammu and Kashmir. In March last he single-handedly eliminated two terrorists in an operation that targeted two top leaders of Hizb-ul Mujahideen of North Kashmir.

Later that month, he received inputs about the presence of a group of hardcore terrorists in the Chhoti Margi area of Lolab. Despite continuous snowfall, he, along with his troops, rushed there and threw a cordon round the hideout early in the morning. Taking advantage of poor visibility, the terrorists rushed out, firing. Coming face to face with them and though his troops were outnumbered, Capt. Harshan killed one terrorist on the spot but fell down after receiving a gunshot wound in the neck. He continued to engage the terrorists before succumbing to his injuries.

The award for Capt. Harshan will be received by his father K. Radhakrishnan Nair.

Naib Subedar Chuni Lal had the rare distinction of being awarded the Vir Chakra and the Sena Medal for gallantry in earlier operations. He earned his first commendation while accompanying Naib Subedar Bana Singh in capturing the 21,000-foot Pakistani post, now renamed Bana Top, on the Siachen Glacier. While Naib Subedar Bana Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, Naib Subedar Chuni Lal was honoured with the Sena Medal. On June 24 last, he received information about infiltration in the Kupwara Sector. Leading from the front, Naib Subedar Chuni Lal killed three terrorists before being slain.

Naib Subedar Chuni Lal is survived by his wife Chintha Devi and two children.

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