President confers Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations on Armed Forces Personnel

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday presented Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations to Armed Forces Personnel for displaying indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty at the Defence Investiture Ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Sapper Prakash Jadhav from Corps of Engineers accorded the second-highest peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra ,posthumously, for neutralising terrorists in an operation in Jammu and Kashmir . His wife and mother received the award from President .

Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal accorded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously for his role in an operation where five terrorists were eliminated and 200 kg explosive material was recovered. His wife Lt Nitika Kaul and mother Saroj Dhoundiyal received the award. Naib Subedar Sombir accorded Shaurya Chakra posthumously for killing an A category terrorist during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir. His wife and mother received the award.

Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman who shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft aerial combat was honoured with Vir Chakra. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt  were present on the occasion along with other dignitaries.