Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman of the Indian Air, who spent nearly 60 hours as a prisoner of the Pakistani military after his MiG-21 Bison was shot down by Pakistan Air Force, will be conferred Vir Chakra on India’s Independence Day.
Abhinandan Varthaman became the face of the military confrontation between India and Pakistan in February this year.
Responding to the IAF violation of Pakistan airspace on February 26, PAF hit back by sending fighters to hit Indian targets the following day. In the pursuit, a PAF fighter jet downed at least one Indian MiG-21 aircraft and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan.
