NEW DELHI: As festivities for Independence Day begin, the centre on Thursday awarded Vir Chakra to nine Indian Air Force officers for their brave contributions in the service of the nation during Operation Sindoor.The Vir Chakra has been awarded to nine Indian Air Force officers, including fighter pilots, who targeted terrorist groups’ headquarters in Pakistan’s Muridke and Bahawalpur and the neighbouring country’s military assets.Group Captains (GP) Ranjeet Singh Sidhu, Manish Arora, Animesh Patni, Kunal Kalra, Wing commanders (WG CDR) Joy Chandra, Squadron Leaders (Sqn Ldr) Sarthak Kumar, Siddhant Singh, Rizwan Malik, Flight Lieutenant (FLT LT) Aarshveer Singh Thakur have been awarded Vir Chakra.The Indian Air Force has brought down at least six Pakistani aircraft in the action.Vir Chakra is a military bravery award presented to wartime heroes for their gallant actions on the battlefield. It is third in line after Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra.This comes after Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said that India took down at least five fighter jets of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and downed one large aircraft which was taken on at a distance of about 300 kilometres.
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