IAF Group Capt Abhinandan Varthaman awarded Vir Chakra for shooting down Pakistan’s jet in 2019

Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman was accorded the Vir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind today.

(Credits: ANI)

New Delhi: Indian Air Force Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman was awarded the Vir Chakra on Monday (November 22, 2021) by President Ram Nath Kovind for shooting down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft aerial combat on February 27, 2019. 

Delhi: Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman being accorded the Vir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind, for shooting down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft during aerial combat on February 27, 2019. pic.twitter.com/CsDC0cYqds — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2021

Vir Chakra citation for Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman for shooting down a Pakistani F-16 on February 27, 2019. pic.twitter.com/ebwvLDmhIe — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2021

In 2019, Abhinandan Varthaman had found himself in the middle of a ruthless battle with a Pakistani fighter jet, amid the aerial conflicts that were underway between Indian and Pakistan, following Pulwama attack, that year.

Abhinandan shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft during aerial combat on February 27 a day after the Balakot airstrike.

In the process, he flew over Pakistan occupied Kashmir and his MiG-21 was hit and he had to eject over the territory controlled by the enemy.

He was then taken into custody by the Pakistan Army. The Pakistan Army was forced to release him due to the extensive pressure exerted by the Indian side along with international intervention into the matter.

Abhinandan was part of the Srinagar-based 51 squadron and had flown to thwart an aerial attack launched by the Pakistanis on February 27, 2019.

India had launched an aerial strike on Pakistan`s terrorist facility in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area run by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) on February 26.

Meanwhile, Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal’s wife Lieutenant Nitika Kaul and mother Saroj Dhoundiyal receive his Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) for an operation in Jammu and Kashmir in which five terrorists were killed and 200 kg explosives were recovered.

#WATCH | Delhi: Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal’s wife Lieutenant Nitika Kaul and mother Saroj Dhoundiyal receive his Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) for an operation in Jammu and Kashmir in which five terrorists were killed and 200 kg explosives were recovered. pic.twitter.com/0TmNwgBQ3b — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2021

Naib Subedar Sombir was also accorded Shaurya Chakra posthumously for killing an A++ category terrorist during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir. His wife and mother receive the award from President Ram Nath Kovind.

Delhi: Naib Subedar Sombir accorded Shaurya Chakra posthumously for killing an A++ category terrorist during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir.

His wife and mother receive the award from President Ram Nath Kovind. pic.twitter.com/uwBiIu1iUC — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2021

(With ANI inputs)