July 14, 2026 04:24 pm (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari backs move to stop entry to Bankra Mosque inside Kolkata airport operational area | Big win for Vijay government! Supreme Court stays Madras HC's cow slaughter ban in Tamil Nadu | Badrinath Temple donation theft case: Key accused Pramod Nautiyal arrested in major breakthrough | 'Citizenship must be decided fairly': Supreme Court quashes Gauhati HC order declaring 27 as foreigners | 'Highway blocked, stones pelted, cops injured': BJP faces open revolt in Madhya Pradesh over Narottam Mishra ticket snub | Two Kolkata Police DCPs suspended over alleged remarks against Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari | Bail to Bloodbath: Telangana man allegedly kills wife, kids and teen who accused him of sexual harassment | Prakash Raj gets bail in multiple voter registration case linked to 2019 polls | ED raids Shekhar Suman associate's premises in FEMA case; phone allegedly thrown from 13th floor | 'Candidate fled': Prashant Kishor jibes BJP over Bankipur nominee change

IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to be conferred with Vir Chakra on I-Day

| @indiablooms | Aug 14, 2019, at 12:49 pm

New Delhi, Aug 14 (IBNS): Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who had shot down Pakistan Air Force's F-16 fighter jet in a dogfight after the Pulwama terror attack, will be conferred with Vir Chakra on the country's 73rd Independence Day on Thursday.

Vir Chakra is the country's third highest wartime military award.

After Varthaman had shot down the F-16 fighter jet, his Mig-21 Bison was hit. He was also captured by Pakistan.

After almost three days, Varthaman was handed over to India as a "peace gesture" by the neighbouring country amid international pressure.

The dogfight took place when India had countered the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, which was carried out by Pakistan-based militant organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), with an airstrike.

After Varthaman had returned to India, he was shifted out of the Srinagar airbase owing to security concerns.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.