President Pranab Mukherjee has approved awards of 365 Gallantry and other Defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel and others on the eve of the 67th Republic Day celebrations.
This includes one Ashoka Chakra, four Kirti Chakras, 11 Shaurya Chakras, one Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry), 48 Sena Medal (Gallantry), four Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry), two Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry), 29 Param Vishisht Seva Medal, five Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, four Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, 49 Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, 20 Yudh Seva Medal, three Bar to Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 37 Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), eight Nao Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 16 Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), five Bar to Vishisht Seva Medal and 118 Vishisht Seva Medal.
The nation’s highest peacetime gallantry award Ashoka Chakra has been awarded posthumously to lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami of 9 Para (Special Forces)/6th Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles for his acts of most conspicuous gallantry.
On the intervening night of September 2/3, 2015, lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami was part of an ambush in Haphruda forest at Kupwara district of Jammu & Kashmir. At about 8.15, there was a fierce encounter with four terrorists wherein two of his comrades were injured and pinned down. lance Naik Mohan along with his buddy dashed forward to rescue their injured colleagues, knowing well the risks to their own lives. He first assisted in eliminating one terrorist. Sensing grave danger to three of his wounded colleagues, lance Naik Mohan with utter disregard to his own personal safety, charged at the remaining terrorists drawing intense fire from them. He was hit in the thigh. Unmindful, he closed in and eliminated one terrorist, injured another and was again shot in the abdomen. Undeterred by his injuries, he hurled himself on the last terrorist and killed him at point blank range before succumbing to his wounds. lance Naik Mohan not only killed two terrorists, but also assisted in neutralising the other two and saved the lives of three of his wounded colleagues.
Goswami had earlier in two different operations killed 10 terrorists within a span of 11 days.
The four named for the Kirti Chakras include late Constable Jagdish Chand of Defence Service Corps for his exemplary courage when the terrorists struck the Pathankot airbase earlier this year. Unarmed Chand snatched the rifle of one of the terrorists and killed him. He was in the mess preparing breakfast for the security personnel when the terrorists started firing. He engaged in hand-to-hand combat to snatch the rifle and saved the lives of fellow colleagues. But he made the supreme sacrifice when he fell to the bullets of the other terrorists.
Eleven people have been named for Shaurya Chakra. The list includes Col. Santosh Mahadik of the Special Forces of the Army who has been named for conferment posthumously for making the supreme sacrifice while taking on terrorists in a heavy gunfight in the jungles of Kupwara.