Colonel B Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment who led his troops against a Chinese attack in Eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in June last year, was  posthumously awarded Mahavir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind for displaying exemplary courage during the hand-to-hand combat.

Key Points:

• Babu’s wife B Santoshi and mother Manjula received the award at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the top military brass of the country.
• Mahavir Chakra is the second highest wartime gallantry award after the Param Vir Chakra.Four other soldiers, Naib Subedar Nuduram Soren, Havildar (Gunner) K Palani, Naik Deepak Singh and Sepoy Gurtej Singh, who also laid down their lives valiantly fighting the Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley clash on June 15 last year, have been honoured with the Vir Chakra award posthumously.