INDIA

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman To Be Awarded First Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar

Varthaman will be the first recipient of the award that is instituted by the Akhil Bharatiya Digambar Jain Mahasamiti, a functionary of the organisation said on Sunday.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman To Be Awarded First Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman (Photo Credits: IANS)

New Delhi, March 4: After receiving a hero's welcome back home on Friday,Ā Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will soon be awarded theĀ 'Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar'. Varthaman will be theĀ first recipient of the award that is instituted by the Akhil Bharatiya Digambar Jain Mahasamiti, a functionary of the organisation informed on Sunday.Ā The award has beenĀ instituted this year (2019) and carries a cash prize ofĀ Rs.Ā 2.51 lakh.

TheĀ award for the fighter pilot was announced in New Delhi by the organisation's chairperson Manidra Jain, said its Maharashtra chapter convener Paras Lohade in Nashik. Along with a cash prize, the award also carries a memento and a citation and will beĀ presented to Abhinandan VarthamanĀ on April 17, coinciding with Mahavir Jayanti.Ā Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman Returns Home With a Rib Fracture, Back Contusion and Bruises: Reports.

The IAF pilot was held in Pakistan's captivity forĀ nearly 60Ā hoursĀ after his MiG-21 Bison fighter went down. The brave-heart had hit a Pakistani F-16 before he was forced to eject and landed across the Line of Control.Ā The countdown for the homecoming of Abhinandan began on Thursday afterĀ Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced in Parliament that he would be released the following day as a gesture of peace.Ā  After nearly three-day captivity in Pakistan,Ā Varthaman returned to IndiaĀ to on Friday night.Ā Abhinandan Varthaman Remains in High Spirit Despite Mental Harassment in Pakistan.Ā 

Tensions between India and PakistanĀ escalated after IAF jetsĀ bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan, killing a number of terrorists. The air strikes on the JeM terror camps came 12 days after the terror group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 04, 2019 02:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).