The ace pilot of the Indian Air Force, Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman was honored with the prestigious Vir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovid at the Defence Investiture Ceremony on Monday at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Group Captain Abhinandan was awarded Vir Chakra for his courage while shooting down Pakistan’s F-16 in February 2019. The Vir Chakra citation states, “Displaying exceptional air combat acumen and knowledge of the enemy’s tactics, (then) Wing Commander Varthaman Abhinandan scanned the low altitude airspace with his Airborne Intercept (AI) radar and picked up an enemy aircraft that was flying low to ambush the Indian fighter-interceptor aircraft.”
Vir Chakra is third highest gallantry medal after Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra.
Also, during the ceremony, the President awarded the Shaurya Chakra to Major Maheshkumar Bhure, who in 2018, led an operation neutralizing 6 top terrorists in J&K.
