Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously

Two army personnel, Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh were awarded the highest peacetime military honour, the Ashok Chakra posthumously by President Pranab Mukherjee.
The awards were received by their wives at the 66th Republic Day celebrations.
Both the army men had laid down their lives while battling groups of militants in separate operations in Shopian and Kupwara districts of Kashmir.

• In April 2014, Major Mukund Varadarajan who was an officer in the Rajput Regiment of the Indian Army had killed three terrorists in an encounter in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir.
• While in August 2014, Naik Neeraj Singh was leading a search operation in general area Gurdaji of Kupwara district, he died after heavy fire from terrorists.

About Ashok Chakra

• It is India’s highest peacetime military decoration awarded for valor, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield
• It is the peace time equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for the most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice other than in the face of the enemy.

Month: Current Affairs - January, 2015