New Delhi: Colonel Santosh Babu, who laid down his life on the observation point he was posted at while resisting a vicious attack by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Ladakh’s Galwan Valley last year has been accorded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously on Tuesday.
Babu’s mother and wife receive the award from President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
He has been posthumously named for the second-highest military award, Mahavir Chakra, for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy.
“Undaunted by the violent and aggressive action by enemy soldiers, the officer, in true spirit of service before self, continued to resist the enemy’s attempt to push back Indian troops,” the Mahavir Chakra citation read.
The citation further highlighted his “exemplary leadership and astute professionalism” despite being grievously injured. “He showed conspicuous bravery in the face of the enemy and made supreme sacrifice for the nation,” it added.
Babu was the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regimen during Operation Snow Leopard, and was among the 20 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the fierce hand-to-hand combat on June 15 in the Galwan Valley.
This incident marked one of the most serious military conflicts between India and China in decades.
