President Kovind to confer 131 Gallantry Awards

On the occasion of 72nd Independence Day, President Ram Nath Kovind has approved 131 Gallantry Awards to members of Armed Forces Personnel and Paramilitary Forces.

The Defence Ministry, in a statement, said that one Kirti Chakra, three Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), three Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), 11 Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), 20 Shaurya Chakras and 93 Sena Medals (Gallantry) will be awarded.

Braveheart hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, Sepoy Vrahma Pal Singh has been shortlisted for the Kirti Chakra award posthumously. In November 2017, Singh was killed in an anti-terror encounter in South Kashmir's Algar village where he was deployed in inner cordon as part of Combat Action Team under Captain Kaninder Paul Singh.

Along with Singh, Major Aditya Kumar's name has been mentioned on the list of 20 armed forces personnel for the Shaurya Chakra award. He was dragged in a controversy after his unit open fired on stone-pelters in South Kashmir's Shopian in January that led to the death of three people.
Meanwhile, rifleman Aurangzeb will also be conferred with the third highest gallantry award. He was brutally killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in June when he was on a vacation to his hometown for Eid.

The list does not end here, six women officers of the Indian Navy will be awarded with Nao Sena medals. They were part of the expedition to circumnavigate the globe. Also not forgetting the large number of Army personnel who sacrificed their lives in numerous anti-terror operations in the country have also been named in the list of gallantry awardees.