At about 1430 hours on the 6th October, 1951 an Indian Air Force Dakota crashed in Turkey, and resulted in the death of five aircrew, including Air Commodore Narendra. Flt. Lt. R.H. Chawdhry was one of two survivors of that accident. When the aircraft crashed, Flt. Lt. Chawdhry was thrown clear of the wreckage, and sustained serious injuries on his arm and knee. In spite of this he showed extraordinary courage and self sacrifice. His action after the crash was a noble example of conspicuous bravery and calmness in the most trying circumstances. He dragged the other survivor, Pilot Officer M.M. Dutt, who was unconscious and whose thigh bone was fractured, from the burning aircraft and thus saved the life of a comrade from certain death by fire. He then rushed to aid the other victims and succeeded in smothering the flames with his rain coat and in spite of the heat and smoke attempted to put out the entrapped persons from the wreckage. He did not stop his efforts against overwhelming odds until the main tank of the aircraft exploded and thus made further effort on his part impossible.

He improvised arrangements for the safety of the other survivor, Pilot Officer M.M. Dutt and walked 6 to 7 miles with utmost difficulty, through the great part of the night, through unknown mountainous territory to help.

Wing Commander Shiv Prakash Sabharwal was commissioned in the flying Branch of the Air Force in January, 1953. He has served in several transport squadrons of the Air Force, and is a qualified flying instructor. He has been the Commander of a Radar Unit and is at present commanding a transport squadron. He has consistently maintained a very high standard of operational efficiency in the personnel of his squadron, and has set a very high example by his own professional knowledge. During the recent conflict with Pakistan, he was the commander of a force of Packet aircraft. He quickly moulded this force into an effective entity. He personally led two missions over Bangladesh. In these two operations, he went without rest for 34 hours.

Throughout, Wing Commander Shiv Prakash Sabharwal has rendered distinguished service of an exceptional order.

Group Captain Karori Lal Bhatia (1605) commanded No.12 Squadron from the early days of the Operations in Kashmir. As a Commanding Officer of the Transport Squadron, he shouldered the heavy responsibility of training his pilots for operations in the mountainous terrain of Kashmir, landing and taking off from hastily prepared airstrips and flying in vital supplies of rations, stores and ammunition to the besieged garrison located in places like Poonch etc.

He always displayed the highest order of leadership, and thus was an example to all his Squadron Pilots. He exhibited extraordinary courage and exemplary devotion to duty when his aircraft was damaged by enemy fire while landing at Poonch and by his prompt action and “Sangfroid” saved the lives of the other members of the aircrew and passengers in the damaged aircraft.

For the outstanding services rendered by him during the Kashmir Operations, he was awarded the Vir Chakra.

Flight Lieutenant (Now Wing Commander) Sudhananda Roy (2296) carried out 400 hours of flying in Kashmir Operations as a Navigation Leader. He operated on all sectors himself and mostly flew in the leading aircraft. Besides this he undertook all difficult and risky sorties himself. His aircraft was subjected to heavy enemy fire and was damaged many a time but he carried on with calm determination and dauntless spirit. By his high standard of leadership, devotion to duty and dauntless courage, he set a fine example to other Navigators of the Unit. In his capacity as Navigation leader, he led the first sorties to LEH. Thereafter he had to, in view of his experience, undertake most of the other flights when weather conditions made it necessary to employ experienced navigator.

Though the Navigation/Radio aids available in JAMMU and KASHMIR were very poor and the aircraft had to operate over difficult terrain and frequently in extremely treacherous weather, this officer at all times maintained the highest standard a Navigation Leader.

In view of the valuable service rendered by him during the KASHMIR Operations, he has been awarded the Vir Chakra.

Flight Lieutenant (Now Wing Commander) Lal Singh Grewal (2337) distinguished himself by making the maximum number of landings by day and night at Poonch while it was under enemy fire. Further he dropped supplies of ammunitions and rations in inclement weather to our Garrisons in Kotli and Mirpur, when these places were subjected to heavy enemy fire. This officer also captained aircraft during night bombing sorties.

On 21st March 1948, when Poonch was being shelled heavily by the enemy, he made two hazardous landings in Poonch , one by day and the other by night without any landing aids to deliver urgently required heavy guns and ammunition to our troops. He also flew in regularly much needed supplies to LEH. Throughout the Jammu and Kashmir Operations, this officer carried out the duties allocated to him with courage, determination and devotion to duty. His example was a source of inspiration to all the pilots of his Squadron.

For the valuable services rendered by him during Jammu and Kashmir Operations, he has been awarded the Vir Chakra

Flight Lieutenant (Now Wing Commander) Purshotam Lal Dhawan (2351) carried out 144 sorties as a Dakota Captain in Kashmir Operations. He was one of the pioneers from his Squadron in the Kashmir Operations. Despite heavy enemy fire he carried out a number of supply dropping sorties over our besieged and hard pressed garrisons at NOWHERA, JHANGAR, MIRPUR, KOTLI, POONCH and BARAMULA. His aircraft was damaged many a time by enemy fire but he carried on through sheer determination and will to defy the enemy.

He was also one of the Captains who took part in Night Bombing (in Dakota aircraft) of enemy positions with great success. Being bold, loyal and courageous, this officer always exhibited, during operation, a high sense of duty, morale and fighting spirit in spite of heavy odds he had to meet with.
For the outstanding services rendered by him during the Kashmir Operations, he has been awarded the Vir Chakra.

Flight Lieutenant TRILOK NATH GHADIOK (2354), (Now Wing Commander) whilst acting as a Flight Commander in a transport supplyl Squadron in Jammu and Kashmir, showed at all times the highest qualities of leadership and therby set a fine example to other officers and airmen in his flight to follow. The Officer carried out many supply dropping sorties to Uri and later to Tithwal under difficult flying conditions, which earned special praise for him. On one of his sorties, even though his aircraft was repeatedly hit by enemy fire, he sucessfully completed his mission with his characteristic calmness and determination. When Transport supply had to be undertaken to reinforce Leh, this officer operated as a Captain on this hazardous route regularly.

For the outstanding services rendered by him during the Kashmir operations, he has been awarded the Vir Chakra.

Flight Lieutenant (Now Wing Commander) Anthony Ignatius Kenneth Suares (2773) was one of the plots who formed the small band of transport support aircrew, who carried out continuous operations in Kashmir over long periods. He was one of the pioneers on the LEH route. At that time the aircraft were not fitted with Oxygen and this made the trip a most hazardous and grueling flight.

He also undertook transport support sorties to most of the other supply zones in Kashmir. Considering the difficult nature of the country and the treacherous weather conditions that were frequently encountered, it made the majority of these flights a most difficult undertaking as the pilot had, in addition, to contend with heavy enemy ground fire.

For the outstanding services rendered by him during the Kashmir Operations, he has been awarded the Vir Chakra.

Flying Officer (Now Wing Commander) Nedyam Bhaskar Menon (2994) distinguished himself in the Jammu and Kashmir Operations by carrying out a number of sorties to LEH when the weather was not conducive to flying. He also operated regularly to Poonch and Tithwal carrying urgently required rations, military stores and ammunition. During the tour of operations he completed a magnificent total of 400 operational hours of flying.

For the valuable services rendered by him during Jammu and Kashmir Operations, he has been awarded the Vir Chakra.

Flight Lieutenant (Now Squadron Leader) Vonthibettu Prabhakara Hegde (3080) put up consistent efforts from the day of the Kashmir Operations till “Cease fire.” He was in the thick of it right through and at all times showed the greatest determination and perseverance in carrying our arduous and difficult flights in providing transport support for POONCH, MENDHAR, URI, TITHWAL, KARGIL, DRAS and last, but not the least, to LEH. Both at Tithwal and at Uri, his aircraft was repeatedly hit and damaged. Considering the treacherous nature of the country and the frequent occasions when most of his transport flights had to be carried out under adverse weather conditions, it required great powers of endurance and skill on the part of this pilot. In carrying out his duties well, the officer set a fine example to others in his Flight to follow.

For the outstanding services rendered by him during the Kashmir Operations, he has been awarded the Vir Chakra.

Flying Officer (Now Squadron Leader) Desmond Eric Pushong (3122) has to his credit a considerable number of hours of flying in Kashmir Operations as a Dakota Captain. His dauntless courage, determination and sense of duty were a source of inspiration to other pilots.
In initial stages of Kashmir Operations, when out garrisons were surrounded in MIRPUR, KOTLI and POONCH areas, this officer carried out supply dropping under intense enemy fire, and always defied the enemy with a grim determination.

He was the first to land at POONCH whilst the airstrip was being heavily shelled by the enemy.
On 21st March, 1948, when POONCH was hard pressed by the enemy, he made a night landing without any landing aids, to deliver some equipment of vital importance to our garrison and thus helped our troops to beat back the enemy. He further rescued and ………the stranded crew of another aircraft which had been damaged earlier by enemy shelling.

For the outstanding services rendered by him during the Kashmir Operations, he has been awarded the Vir Chakra.

On 19th June 1948 at Poonch, information was received from our columns at Potha that there were 12 seriously wounded casualties to be evacuated from Potha. The Austers which were sent there from Jammu for that purpose were only able to evacuate four of them when they ran short of petrol. The petrol which was sent from Jammu during the day was not suitable for the Austers and they could not carry on evacuation of the casualties unless the particular type of petrol was received from Jammu. Contact was made by wireless to Jammu to have the petrol sent up immediately by the next Dak. Unfortunately all the Daks had left Jammu as the weather was closing in and even the request to send a Harvard with this petrol could not be complied with. In the men time a Dak had landed in Poonch piloted by Fg Offr D.O. Barty. He had orders to unload his supplies in Poonch and proceed back to Srinagar. His Dak starboard engine was giving trouble.

The time then was approximately 1500 hours when Maj. Gen. Atma Singh, GOC JA div., who was on the airstrip asked Fg. Off. Barty whether it would be possible for him to go to Jammu, collect the petrol and bring it back to Poonch as there were still 8 casualties to be evacuated from Potha. It was essential to evacuate these 6 casualties as it meant saving their lives and also enabling the column to advance to Mendhar. Since Starboard Engine was defective and the weather had closed down around Jammu Fg. Off. Barty decided on his own initiative to proceed to Potha instead of Jammu and evacuate the casualties to Srinagar in one sortie. He had only a very short time to make up his mind as the weather was closing down around Poonch and Srinagar airfields it was impossible for him to wait for sanction from his H.Q. to land at Potha and evacuate the casualties that evening.

The airstrip at Potha was only between 450 and 500 yards long and 100 feet wide and the surface was in a series of steps and very bumpy. There was only one way of approach to the airstrip as at the other end there was a hill and it seemed absolutely impossible to land a Dakota on that airstrip. The pilots of the Austers found it very difficult themselves to land and informed Flying Officer Barty accordingly. But in spite of advice given by these two officers and all the rest of the officers on the airstrip not to undertake this precarious mission Fg. Off. Barty decided that he had to help those eight lives which were at stake and proceeded to carry out his mission. He said that he had seen this strip during the supply drop in the day and considered that he could land a Dak there. The undertaking was a great success.

The outstanding example of bravery and courage coupled with initiative and soundness of judgment shown by this officer was of the highest order. It was not only a credit to RIAF but it should go down in the annals of aviation as a unique achievement. In comparison to the landing in Poonch and Leh, this will be an unbeaten record which should be given wide publicity.

The gallantry and initiative shown by this officer was beyond the normal call of duty. He was not only responsible for saving eight lives but also for enabling the column to continue to its advance to Mendhar. Fg. Off. D.O. Barty IND/3129 GD (P) displayed extraordinary initiative and took on a responsibility which might have ended in disaster. His action not only helped the lives of the eight men but also enabled our column to continue to its advance to MENDHAR.

Flight Sergeant A Thomas (13436) Signaller formed one of the small Band of Signallers who operated continuously and without a break on transport duties in KASHMIR from the day hostilities broke out till the “Cease Fire” was declared.

Due to the shortage of signallers, it was necessary for this N.C.O. to do far more than his share of normal duties. Unmindful of the operational fatigue, he always cheerfully undertook extra flights and displayed complete “Snagfroid” and determination under the most trying conditions.

The fact that is aircraft was damaged by enemy fire on numerous occasions did never deter him from volunteering for further flights whenever required. His devotion to duty during operations was at all times exemplary.
For valuable services rendered by him during JAMMU and KASHMIR Operations, he has been awarded the Vir Chakra.

On the 17th November 1947, Warrant Officer D. Ghosh flew in a Dakota aircraft as a Signaller to carry out a Supply drop at MIRPUR. Whilst on the Dropping Zone area the aircraft was badly shot up and Warrant Officer Ghosh receive a bullet hit which fractured the bone of his forearm.

On the completion of this flight he cheerfully volunteered to fly again over POONCH in spite of his broken arm on hearing of the necessity for an emergency Sortie for which no other Signaller was readily available. His brave effort in flying as a member of the Crew reflected his high sense of duty, determination and courage and thus made the emergency sortie possible. Later it was proved that this emergency sortie brought timely help to our besieged garrison at Poonch and helped to save the disaster of falling into enemy’s hands.

For this remarkable act of gallantry in carrying on flying, when badly wounded, he was awarded Vir Chakra.

On the 29th April 1960 Flight Lieutenant K.N. Natarjan displayed presence of mind, devotion to duty and airmanship of a high order when the aircraft under his command which was in flight over most difficult mountainous terrain experienced complete loss of power in one engine. He manipulated the aircraft with cool courage and skill, made a successful singleengine landing and saved the crew and the aircraft. His courage and airmanship were a source of inspiration to his comrades.

Sqn. Ldr. Jagdish Kumar Seth has been engaged in air transport and operational training in Jammu and Kashmir area since 1960. Apart from his own operational flying, he has trained new pilots and raised their operational standard. He has carried out large number of supply dropping and landing sorties in forward areas. During the operations against the Chinese in October, 1962, he, in disregard to his personal safety, landed vitally needed reinforcements in an area and also carried out several reconnaissance sorties.

Throughout, Sqn. Ldr. Seth displayed courage and devotion to duty.

Flight Engineer Srinivasa Rajagopalan has been flying in the Jammu and Kashmir and NEFA areas since 1961. He has flown over 1767 hours of which more than 1000 hours have been in operational areas. He always volunteered for hazardous operational missions. His professional skill and resourcefulness contributed to a great extent towards the success of many operational missions. During the Chinese aggression in 1962, his aircraft was hit by enemy fire and damaged. Undaunted, he continued flying hazardous missions.

Throughout, Flight Engineer Srinivasa Rajagopalan displayed courage and devotion to duty.

Air Commodore SM Sethi was commissioned in the Flying Branch as a transport pilot on 16 Mar 65. He holds the highest transport aircrew category and has more than 8700 hours of accident free flying on various types of aircraft with extensive experience in the difficult terrain of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh. He is fully operational on all roles undertaken by transport aircraft including bombing. He has held appointment of Flight Commander, has commanded two transport squadrons and has been a Group Commander in NCC.

His first tenure as a Commanding Officer of an AN-32 squadron was dedicated to the task of providing much needed supplies and mobility to IPKF in Sri Lanka. Air Cmde Sethi was appointed as the Commanding Officer of the only AN-32 transport squadron. Under his exemplary leadership and professional guidance, the squadron achieved all tasks. He improved the categorisation state, ensured a higher serviceability state and maintained a record of zero accidents due to human error and also fulfilled the bombing tasks.

Air Cmde Sethi was the type force commander for battalion group para drop exercises, conducted in May 95 and Apr 96. He led a large formation of AN-32 aircraft by night and achieved excellent results in both exercises without any incident. This was possible due to his extensive preparation with an eye for the minute details and thorough briefings and de-briefings.

For distinguished services of a high order, the President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Air Cmde SM Sethi.