Galwan clash: Colonel B S Babu posthumously awarded Mahavir Chakra
New Delhi(PTI): Colonel Bikumalla Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment who led from the front against the brutal Chinese attack in Galwan Valley in June last year, was on Tuesday posthumously awarded Mahavir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind for displaying "exemplary courage" during the clash.
Babu's wife B Santoshi and mother Manjula received the award at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the top military brass of the country.
Mahavir Chakra is the second-highest military award for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy
Four other soldiers, Naib Subedar Nuduram Soren, Havildar (Gunner) K Palani, Naik Deepak Singh and Sepoy Gurtej Singh, who also laid down their lives valiantly fighting the Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley clash on June 15 last year, have been conferred with Vir Chakra awards posthumously.
Naib Soren's wife Laxmi Mani Soren, Havildar Palani's wife Vanathi Devi and Naik Singh's wife, Rekha Singh, received the awards from the President.
Sepoy Gurtej Singh's mother Prakash Kaur and father Virsa Singh received the Vir Chakra from the President.
Twenty Indian Army personnel has laid down their lives in the fierce hand-to-hand combat in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley clash, an incident that marked the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades.
Colonel Babu, despite being grievously injured, led the Indian troops from the front with absolute command and control despite hostile conditions.
He valiantly resisted the enemy attack till his last breath, while inspiring and motivating his troops to hold ground, during the 'Operation Snow Leopard'.
The citation said Col Babu has been awarded the Mahavir Chakra for displaying "exemplary leadership, astute professionalism and supreme sacrifice" in the line of duty.
The Indian Army has built a memorial for the 'Gallants of Galwan' at Post 120 in eastern Ladakh.
The memorial mentioned their heroics under operation 'Snow Leopard' and the way they evicted the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops from the area while inflicting "heavy casualties" on them.
Naib Subedar Soren, who was part of the 16 Bihar Regiment, led his column and resisted the enemy's attempt to push back the Indian soldiers while establishing an observation post, according to official details.
He organised his column, countered the adversary forcefully and stopped them in their attempt to push back Indian troops. Soren displayed raw courage, fighting with a resolute spirit before succumbing to his injuries.
Havildar Palani stood bravely and tried to defend his comrades even when the enemy attacked him with a sharp weapon.
His act of valour inspired other fellow soldiers to fight fiercely and resist enemy aggression. In spite of his grievous injuries, he continued to hold his ground resolutely and in the finest traditions of the Indian Army and laid down his life for the motherland, according to the details.
Naik Deepak Singh, who too belonged to 16 Bihar regiment and was performing duties as a nursing assistant, played a pivotal role in rendering treatment and saving the lives of more than 30 Indian soldiers.
Sepoy Gurtej Singh, who was from the third battalion of the Punjab regiment, successfully spotted the enemy troops while establishing the observation post.
Singh displayed raw courage and exceptional combat skills in resisting the enemy troops and kept fighting even after he was seriously injured, according to the official accounts of the clash.
Several other armed forces personnel were also honoured at the ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
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“BJP's biggest success has been…” Stand-up Comedian explains party’s pattern of setting narrative
New Delhi: Stand-up comedian Abhijit Ganguly expressed his observation about the perceptions of progress under the BJP government in India. Ganguly pointed out that the BJP's greatest success has been in convincing their fanbase that something positive is happening somewhere, even if it might not be apparent to everyone.
He noted that many people, who have not utilized certain services, confidently believe that improvements have been made, despite those who regularly use them knowing otherwise.
According to Ganguly, there seems to be a disparity between perception and reality. For instance, people who have not traveled by train for years confidently assert that India's trains are improving, but regular train commuters are well aware of the truth. Similarly, air travelers might believe that airways have improved, but those who have recently used flights understand the challenges, such as inflation and declining service quality.
"BJP's biggest success has been in convincing their fanbase that something good is happening somewhere, maybe not around you. People who have never stepped on trains for years say with confidence India's trains are doing so much better, but the ones using it know the truth. Train using folks are meanwhile thinking airways has become better while those using flights know how much inflation and bad service has plagued it recently. Service people taxed heavily are thinking okay my taxes are heavy, but ease of doing business is getting better and India's a success story, while people in business know if anything it should be renamed to difficulty in doing business and most business success stories are in spite rather than because of the government,” he stated.
He pointed out that salaried middle-class individuals might feel the impact of inflation, while they believe that direct benefits are helping farmers. However, farmers know the reality of the heavy taxes they are facing on fertilizers and pesticides.
“Salaried Middle class people thinking that inflation is there for me but for farmers etc. direct benefits helping them, while farmers know how much taxes they are having to pay on fertilizers pesticides etc.” he further wrote.
Ganguly's post highlighted a common pattern, there seems to be an overarching narrative that something good is happening, although it may not be experienced firsthand.
BJP's biggest success has been in convincing their fanbase that something good is happening somewhere, maybe not around you. People who have never stepped in trains for years say with confidence India's trains are doing so much better, but the ones using it know the truth. Train…
— Abijit Ganguly (@AbijitG) April 20, 2024
