New Delhi: Indian Air Force ace pilot Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman has been awarded the Vir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind in an investiture ceremony on Monday.
Varthaman was recently promoted to the rank of Group Captain. He had shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft during aerial combat on February 27 a day after the Balakot airstrike.
Read:Balakot Air Strike hero Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman promoted
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.
The 'Balakot Air Strike' was carried out at terror camps at Balakot of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in response to the deadly Pulwama attack that claimed the lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. It was the first aerial assault carried out by India in Pakistan after the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.
On February 26, 2019, at around 3.30 a.m., 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and destroyed the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot. The Balakot airstrike demonstrated India's prowess to retaliate against Pakistan's sinister intentions.
Read:Wing Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman flies sortie with IAF chief
Codenamed as 'Operation Bandar', the airstrike was conducted by the seventh and ninth squadrons of the Indian Air Force. After the strike, over two dozen fighter planes, including F-16s left Pakistani bases aiming to hit Indian military installations. But the Indian Air Force in anticipation of such an attack was ready and an aerial dogfight ensued. It ended with Wing Commander Varthaman, shooting down an F-16 fighter plane of Pakistan and getting hit in the process.
Wing Commander Varthaman exited safely but was captured. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the capture. India demanded his unconditional and safe return. Back then, the US played a role in the release of the officer. He safely returned to India.
