Kirti Chakra awarded to four martyred cops

NEW DELHI: The country’s second highest gallantry medal during peacetime, Kirti Chakra, has been awarded to four policemen posthumously and two Army soldiers, while Shaurya Chakras have been conferred on 15 military and other security personnel.

Three of the Kirti Chakra awardees are sub-inspector Deepak Bhardwaj, head constables Sodhi Narayan and Shrawan Kashyap, who were among the 22 security personnel killed in the major ambush by Maoists at Bijapur in Chhattisgarh in April 2021. The fourth is senior constable Rohit Kumar (J&K Police).

In the Army, the medals have been awarded to Major Shubhang (Dogra) and Naik Jitendra Singh (Rajput) for showing conspicuous bravery in killing terrorists despite themselves being injured in counter-terror operations in J&K last year.

Two of the Shaurya Chakra awardees, Naik Jasbir Singh (JAK Rifles) and constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh (J&K Police), have got it posthumously. The ones from the Army are Major Aditya Bhadauria (Kumaon), Captain Arun Kumar (Kumaon), Captain Yudhvir Singh (Mech Infantry), Captain Rakesh T R (9 Para-SF) and Lance-Naik Vikas Choudhary (JAK Rifles).

The five IAF personnel to get Shaurya Chakras are Group Captain Yogeshwar Krishnarao, Squadron Leader Sandeep Kumar Jhajhria, Flight Lt Tejpal, Corporal Anand Singh and leading aircraftman Sunil Kumar. The three from the home ministry are assistant commandant Satendra Singh, deputy commandant Vikki Kumar Pandey and constable Vijay Oraon.

Major Shubhang was leading a team of 62 Rashtriya Rifles during the encounter with heavily-armed terrorists at a village in Budgam in April 2022. “Despite sustaining a gunshot wound on the left shoulder, he exhibited unparalleled valour and neutralised a hard core terrorist in an intense gunfight,” an officer said. He then crawled to engage a second terrorist, who was firing on injured soldiers, and forced him to run to a nearby house where he was subsequently killed.

Naik Jitendra Singh exhibited exceptional valour as the lead guide in three operations resulting in elimination of seven terrorists in J&K since December 2021.