Pride in Operation Sindoor: Rafale pilot Ranjit Singh Sidhu from Muktsar gets Vir Chakra; 2 DCs, 2 cops among Punjab officials to receive COAS commendation

BATHINDA: Punjab faced tough times during Operation Sindoor earlier this year, but now three districts of the border state have received top honours for their contributions to the action Indian defence forces took in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre.Gp Capt Ranjit Singh Sidhu, who hails from Muktsar district, has been awarded the Vir Chakra. Belonging to Gidderbaha town, Sidhu is an alumnus of Malwa School. He flew one of the Rafale jets which arrived in Ambala on July 29, 2020.Bathinda and Fazilka received the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card for their contribution to Operation Sindoor. Bathinda senior SP Amneet Kondal and Jalandhar ACP Babandeep Singh received the commendations in the police category, while Bathinda deputy commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray and Fazilka deputy commissioner Amarpreet Kaur Sandhu received it in the civilian category. The announcements came on a day the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Upendra Dwivedi, visited the Chetak Corps at Bathinda military station and the iconic Nagi War Memorial at Sriganganagar in neighbouring Rajasthan.The general was briefed by the general officer commanding, Chetak Corps, on the operational readiness of the units and formations deployed in the sector, the prevailing security situation, training activities, and operational logistics.

Dwivedi laid a wreath at the Nagi War Memorial, paying homage to the bravehearts who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. General Dwivedi felicitated four distinguished veterans - Colonel Satpal Rai Gabba (retd), Lieutenant Colonel Jagjit Singh Maan (retd), Craftsman Banwari Lal Swami (retd), and Subedar Major (Honorary Captain) Sis Ram (retd) - for their immense contribution towards the Armed forces, nature conservation, and nation-building.