Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman To Get Vir Chakra On Independence Day 2019

IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be conferred with Vir Chakra this Independence Day. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman became the face of a tense military confrontation between India and Pakistan. The 36-year-old IAF pilot had sustained injuries while ejecting from his MiG 21 Bison during the aerial combat between Indian and Pakistani air forces on February 27. Varthaman was captured by the Pakistani Army on February 27 after his MiG-21 Bison jet was shot down in a dogfight with Pakistani jets during aerial combat. Before his jet was hit, he downed an F-16 fighter of Pakistan. Varthaman was released on the night of March 1 by Pakistan.