Gallantry medals to LoC operation heroes

New Delhi: Two serving generals — Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi and Lt. Gen. P.M. Hariz — superseded by General Bipin Rawat in the race for the country’s top Army post on December 31, have been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM).

The Kirti Chakra has been awarded to Major Mohit Suri of 4 Para and Lance Havildar Prem Bahadur Resmi Magar (posthumously) of the Third Battalion of the First Gorkha Rifles.

Mr Bakshi heads the Eastern Command that looks after the eastern border adjoining China and the Army’s anti-insurgency operation in the north-east, while Mr Hariz is the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Command — the second in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards after the Ashok Chakra.

Major Suri led his Special Forces team to devastating effect in the surgical strikes across the Line of Control on the intervening night of September 28-29, while Ghatak commando Lance Havildar Magar died on June 15 in Jammu and Kashmir’s Tangdhar battling terrorists.

Magar had already shot dead four terrorists. He was also instrumental in killing seven terrorists in two previous operations at the same area.

Five of the 10 Shaurya Chakras awarded went to personnel of the Special Forces team that conducted the surgical strike. The Shaurya Chakra is the third award in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards.

In all, 19 soldiers of the 4 and 9 Para, the Special Forces units that conducted the cross-border surgical strike, have been awarded gallantry medals. The commanding officers — Col. Kapil Yadav of 9 Para and Col. Harpreet Sandhu of 4 Para — have been given the Yudh Sewa Medal.

Besides the two Kirti Chakras and 10 Shaurya Chakras, President Pranab Mukherjee, on the occasion of Republic Day 2017, stamped his seal of approval on 20 PVSMs, five Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and 32 Ati Vishismand.

While the PVSM is given in recognition of peacetime services of the most exceptional order, the Kirti Chakht Seva Medals, 14 Yudh Seva Medals, 134 Sena Medals (94 for gallantry and 40 for distinguished services), and 76 Vishisht Seva Medals for 44 personnel were mentioned in despatches.