New Delhi: Like most air forces around the world, the Indian Air Force (IAF) too has certain unspoken codes, one of which seemingly gives precedence to the ones who man the flying machines in the IAF.
Otherwise, what explains how the two pilots—both squadron leaders—of the ill-fated Mi-17 chopper in Budgam got the Vayu Sena Medals (VSM) for gallantry while the names of four other IAF men who were also in the helicopter got their names in Mention-In-Despatches.
On the morning of February 27, 2019, as Pakistani air force fighter aircraft raided an Indian post in retaliatory action against the Indian Air Force’s incursive strike in Pakistan’s Balakot, an IAF Mi-17 chopper came down in “friendly” missile fire in the ‘fog of war’ in Kashmir’s Budgam.
The chopper was flown by Squadron Leader Ninad Anil Mandavgane and Squadron Leader Siddharth Vashisht. With two pilots, four IAF men too went down—two were sergeants and two were corporals. They were sergeants Vikrant Sahrawat and Vishal Kumar Pandey, and corporals Pankaj Kumar and Deepak Pandey.
Less than a year later on the eve of India’s Republic Day, the squadron leaders have been awarded the VSM while the names of the other four figured in Mention-In-Despatches for the exhibition of gallantry. All of them were awarded posthumously.
The VSM (gallantry) was instituted on Republic Day, 1960, to recognise exceptional devotion to duty or acts of courage by IAF personnel.
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On the other hand, Mention-In-Despatches, set up in 1950, is awarded for distinguished and meritorious service in operational areas and acts of gallantry which are not of a sufficiently high order to warrant the grant of gallantry awards.
While it may be difficult for civilians to understand the award system, it brings to fore the precedence given to pilots over others in the IAF.
It was while chasing back the raiding Pakistani fighters that IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s MiG 21 was brought down in Pakistani territory.
For the Indian Army, six warriors have been awarded the coveted Shaurya Chakra this Republic Day for exhibition of gallantry—Lt Colonel Jyoti Lama (Assam Rifles), Major Konjengbam Bijendra Singh (Assam Rifles), Naib Subedar Narender Singh (Para Special Forces), Naib Subedar Sombir (Posthumous, Rashtriya Rifles), Naik Naresh Kumar (Rashtriya Rifles) and Sepoy Karmdeo Oraon (Bihar Regiment).
While Lt Colonel Lama and Major Konjengbam displayed heroism in the insurgency-hit Northeast, for Naib Subedar Singh, Naib Subedar Sombir, Naik Kumar and Sepoy Oraon the battleground was in Kashmir.
Shaurya Chakra is the third in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards after the Ashok Chakra and the Kirti Chakra, the first and second in terms of precedence for which there were no awards this time.
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