IAF pilot awarded Shaurya Chakra for courage

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Dehradun, August 16

Wing Commander Sandeep Singh, a helicopter pilot belonging to Dehradun, has been awarded the Shaurya Chakra for displaying “exceptional courage under fire” while evacuating Central Reserve Police Force (CRPH) personnel during anti-naxal operations in Chattisgarh.

On November 21, 2014, Wg Cdr Sandeep Singh received a mission from the Anti-Naxal Task Force Commander to evacuate casualties from a forest area in Sukma district of Chattisgarh. The CRPF troops had come under heavy fire from Naxals resulting in five serious casualties who had to be evacuated immediately. He got airborne with a medical team within 20 minutes of receiving the SOS call.

Based on intelligence inputs and coordinates of exact location of casualties, he landed the helicopter with rotors just clear of the tree line in the jungle. The landing area had the limitation of a sloping surface and was prone to dust. The helicopter came under a burst of fire from automatic weapons as it got airborne.

Undeterred and unfazed, he maintained his composure and courageously carried out evasive manoeuvres to minimise the exposure. Due to his deft handling of the situation the causalities were minimised and only one crew and one person onboard sustained bullet hits with the aircraft remaining fly worthy.

He continued the mission as it grew dark over the jungles of Bastar and landed the damaged helicopter safely at Jagdalpur. He then got airborne in another helicopter to evacuate the injured to Raipur at night. All lives were saved in the end. His exceptional courage, excellent calmness and professionalism not only saved lives but also altered the course of encounter for the ground troops.