CM Yediyurappa honours 1971 war heroes

Bengaluru: Heroes of 1971 war were felicitated by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa here on Tuesday. Lieutenant General A. Arun, YSM, SM, VSM General Officer Commanding, Dakshin Bharat Area, handed over Victory Flame to the CM at Vidhana Soudha.

Rear Admiral SK Gupta, MVC, TBM Noronha, wife of Late Cdr JPA Noronha, MVC, Major General KP Nanjappa, AVSM, VrC, Brigadier P.V. Sahadevan, AVSM, VrC, VSM, Rear Admiral RR Sood, VrC, NM, Commander KS Panwar, VrC and Wing Commander A Raghunath, VrC were felicitated. The event was also attended by many veterans who had participated in the 1971 war.

This year marks the beginning of the 50th anniversary of India's victory over Pakistan in 1971.

The inaugural ceremony of the 'Swarnim Vijay Varsh Celebrations' commenced at the National War Memorial on 16 Dec 20 where Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to the bravehearts, released a logo and lighted the Swarnim Vijay Varsh Mashal. Four Mashals thereafter have been dispatched in all four cardinal directions to cover the entire length and breadth of the country.

Honour List

1 Among those who were felicitated on the occasion was Teresa Noronha, wife of Commander (Retd) late Joseph Pius Alfred Noronha, MVC: During the 1971 operation, he was in command of INS Panvel which was subjected to heavy enemy air attacks and fire from enemy shore defences. Lt Cdr Noronha led and inspired his men by showcasing untiring energy with utter disregard for his personal safety which led to the destruction of vital enemy installations for which he was awarded the Mahavir Chakra.

2 Rear Admiral Santosh Kumar Gupta, MVC, NM (Retd):

He was commanding a Naval Squadron, part of 'INS VIKRANT'. During operations in Bangladesh, he led his squadron against the enemy's fierce barrage of anti-aircraft gunfire. Though his aircraft was critically damaged, the officer led his team to successful completion of the mission and returned safely.

3 Major General Kuppanda Ponappa Nanjappa, AVSM, VrC:

Kumaon Regiment he was commanding was tasked to capture a well-fortified enemy camp in the Eastern Sector, capture of which was very vital for subsequent operations. The officer led and inspired his men by showcasing great leadership with utter disregard for his personal safety in the face of enemy fire, resulting in capture of the objective after fierce fighting for which he was awarded the Vir Chakra.

4 Brigadier Patinhare Veetil Sahadevan, AVSM, VrC, VSM:

He was commanding a company of the Madras Regiment tasked to establish a bridge head in the Western Sector involving an attack across an 800 yards deep enemy minefield. While crossing the minefield, the company suffered many causalities from Medium Machine Gun fire from an enemy bunker. The officer captured the far bank after neutralizing the enemy bunker and encouraged his men to hold their ground & repulse enemy attacks throughout the action for which he was awarded the Vir Chakra.

5 Rear Admiral Rishi Raj Sood, VrC, NM:

He was the commanding officer of Indian Naval Ship Kirpan, part of an Anti-Submarine attack force which was involved in hunting and killing enemy submarines. During the operations when INS Khukri received multiple torpedo hits from enemy submarine forcing the enemy to retreat for which he was awarded the Vir Chakra.

6 Commander Keshav Singh Panwar, VrC:

An Indian Naval Aircraft pilot, he carried out repeated strikes on enemy held ports and sunk three ships in the face of heavy anti-aircraft fire. He was awarded the Vir Chakra.

7 Wing Cdr Aspari Raghunath, VrC:

Flight Lieutenant Raghunath was serving with a Bomber Squadron and volunteered for every sortie and mission. By virtue of his keenness & courage, he was earmarked for a special task which he completed successfully despite enemy air defence & heavy fire for which he was awarded the Vir Chakra.