New Delhi, Jan 25 (Inditop.com) President Pratibha Patil will confer three Ashok Chakras, the highest gallantry award in peacetime, before the Republic Day parade commences Tuesday.
Two of the awards were announced on the eve of Independence Day Aug 15 last year to Major Mohit Sharma (posthumous) and Major D. Sreeram Kumar. On Monday, the defence ministry announced that Havildar Rajesh Kumar of 11 Rajputana Rifles had been conferred the Ashok Chakra posthumously for displaying most “conspicuous gallantry, fortitude and the rare spirit of self sacrifice” in fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.
A total of 442 gallantry awards were announced Monday. They include six Kirti Chakras and 26 Shaurya Chakras, the second and third highest gallantry awards respectively in peacetime.
The citation for Rajesh Kumar’s award said that on Aug 1, 2009, Indian Army troops searching the dense forest in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir came under intense and indiscriminate firing by terrorists.
“Havildar Rajesh Kumar, who was leading the section, returned the fire and scrambled into the undergrowth to outflank the terrorist. With dogged determination he closed-in around the flank and killed the terrorist.”
However, two terrorists positioned themselves in advantageous position and continued to fire at the army team.
“Realising the danger to the lives of his teammates, Kumar moved to outflank one of the terrorists through a veritable hail of bullets. While closing-in, he sustained gun-shot wounds in the abdomen.
“Disregarding gun-shot wounds, he shot and killed the second terrorist. Bleeding profusely, he moved to outflank the third terrorist and engaged him in fierce hand to hand combat killing the terrorist with the burst of fire, before succumbing to his injuries,” the citation added.
