New Delhi: Colonel B Santosh Babu, 37, who was killed during the clash with Chinese soldiers in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in 2020, was on Tuesday posthumously awarded Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) for extraordinary courage and leadership, by President Ram Nath Kovind at an investiture ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Babu’s widow, B Santoshi, and mother, B Manjula, received the award.
#WATCH | Col Santosh Babu accorded Mahavir Chakra posthumously for resisting Chinese Army attack while establishing an observation post in the face of the enemy in Galwan valley in Ladakh sector during Operation Snow Leopard.
— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2021
His mother and wife receive the award from President. pic.twitter.com/vadfvXBz9M
The President also awarded Vir Chakra (VrC) to five other Galwan braves who fought off numerically superior Chinese troops on June 15, 2020. Four of them were awarded the VrC posthumously. The MVC is India’s second-highest wartime gallantry award followed by the VrC.
The posthumous VrC awardees are Naib Subedar Nuduram Soren (16 Bihar), Havildar K Palani (81 Field) Naik Deepak Singh (16 Bihar) and Sepoy Gurtej Singh (3 Punjab). Havildar Tejinder Singh (3 Medium) was the only living recipient of the wartime honour. The brutal clash pushed the India-China bilateral relationship to a breaking point.
Babu’s citation said: “Undaunted by the violent and aggressive action by overwhelming strength of enemy soldiers, the officer in true spirit of service before self, continued to resist the enemy’s attempt to pushback Indian troops. Despite being grievously injured, Colonel Babu led from the front with absolute command and control despite hostile conditions to deter the vicious enemy attack at his position.”
Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the seven-hour deadly conflict near Patrolling Point (PP) 14 in Galwan Valley, where outnumbered Indian troops inflicted heavy casualties on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Apart from 16 Bihar soldiers; soldiers from 3 Punjab, 3 Medium Regiment and 81 Field Regiment were involved in what was the first deadly conflict between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in more than five decades.
The first wave of fighting in Galwan Valley erupted around 6pm on June 15 after Colonel Babu led a squad of 30 soldiers to a location near PP-14 to verify if the PLA had removed some structures erected in the area despite an understanding reached on June 6 by top Indian and Chinese military commanders on a disengagement plan to cool border tensions.
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