President Murmu confers six Kirti Chakras, 33 Shaurya Chakras
New Delhi, May 22 (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday conferred six Kirti Chakras, including four posthumously, to personnel of the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police for displaying indomitable courage and extraordinary valour in the line of duty.
Kirti Chakra is India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award.
Col Manpreet Singh of the Sikh Light Infantry, two other army personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles and a Jammu and Kashmir Police officer have been conferred the Kirti Chakra posthumously, according to the list of awardees shared by the government.
President Murmu, who is the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, also presented 33 Shaurya Chakras, including seven posthumously, to the personnel of the armed forces, Central Armed Police Forces and state/Union Territory police during a defence investiture ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
Maj Malla Rama Gopal Naidu of the Maratha Light Infantry, 56 Rashtriya Rifles, and Major Manjit of the Punjab Regiment, 22 Rashtriya Rifles, received Kirti Chakra.
Rifleman Ravi Kumar, the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, 63 Rashtriya Rifles; Colonel Manpreet Singh, of the Sikh Light Infantry, 19 Rashtriya Rifles; Naik Dilwar Khan, the Regiment of Artillery, 28 Rashtriya Rifles; and Deputy Superintendent of Police Himayun Muzzammil Bhat of the Jammu and Kashmir Police were conferred India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award posthumously.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan later also shared pictures from the ceremony on its official X handle.
"President Droupadi Murmu conferred Shaurya Chakra upon Squadron Leader Deepak Kumar, Flying (Pilot). His undaunted courageous decision in a life-threatening situation to force land the aircraft on a dark night ensured the safety of a valuable national asset and precluded a probable loss of lives," it said in a post.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
