IAF Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, Who Downed Pak Jet, Receives Vir Chakra

Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, who downed a Pakistan jet during an aerial combat in February 2019 and was held captive for three days, was on Monday, 22 November, awarded the Vir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind in an investiture ceremony.

President Kovind presents Vir Chakra to Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Varthaman Abhinandan. He showed conspicuous courage, demonstrated gallantry in the face of the enemy while disregarding personal safety and displayed exceptional sense of duty. pic.twitter.com/zrmQJgfbEr

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 22, 2021

Varthaman had been promoted to the rank of Group Captain earlier in November.

He was captured by the Pakistani Army on 27 February 2019 after his MiG-21 Bison jet was shot down in a dogfight with Pakistani jets. Before his jet was hit, he downed a Pakistani F-16 fighter.

While Varthaman was able to exit safely, he was taken into custody by the Pakistan Army, a development which was later announced by Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan.

India demanded his unconditional and safe return and days later, the Pakistan Army was forced to release him, with the United States (US) also intervening in the matter.