Indian Air Force ace pilot Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman was conferred the Vir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind in an investiture ceremony on Monday. Varthaman was recently promoted to the rank of Group Captain.
Varthaman shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft after engaging in an aerial dogfight on February 27, 2019, a day after IAF’s Balakot airstrike.