Abhinandan awarded Vir Chakra for shooting down Pak F-16

New Delhi: Abhinandan Varthaman, who shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet during the February 27 aerial conflict with Pakistan, has been awarded the third-highest wartime gallantry award, Vir Chakra.
Sapper Prakash Jadhav of the Indian Army’s 1 Rashtriya Rifles (Mahar) battalion has been conferred with the second-highest peacetime gallantry medal Kirti Chakra posthumously for operation in Kulgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
Other Indian Air Force officers who have received awards for their role in the Balakot operations include lady officer Squadron Leader Minty Agarwal who has been conferred with Yudh Seva Medal for her role as a fighter controller during the February 27 aerial conflict between India and Pakistan.
Air Commodore Sunil Kashinath Vidhate, Gp Capts Yashpal Singh Negi, Hansel Joseph Sequeira and Hemant Kumar have also been awarded the Yudh Sewa Medal for the planning and execution of the Balakot aerial strikes on the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist camp in Balakot town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
The pilots of the Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft which went into the Pakistani territory to carry out the attacks have also been conferred Vayu Sena medals for gallantry.
The seven IAF officers who have been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for Gallantry include Gp Capts Saumitra Tamaskar and Pranav Raj, Wg Cdr Amit Ranjan, Squadron Leaders Rahul Basoya, Pankaj Bhujade, B Karthik Narayan Reddy and Shashank Singh.