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Abhinandan Varthaman

About Abhinandan Varthaman

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Who is Abhinandan Varthaman

Abhinandan Varthaman, a wing-commander of the Indian Air Force (IAF), is from Thirupanamoor, a village in Tamil Nadu. Born on June 21, 1983, he studied at Sainik Welfare School in Chennai and graduated from the National Defence Academy. Varthaman was commissioned into the combat stream of IAF as flying officer in June 2004. After receiving training at different IAF centres, he was promoted to flight lieutenant in 2006 and to squadron leader in 2010. 
 
Abhinandan Varthaman's father also served in the IAF. He retired as an Air Marshal in IAF, while his mother is a doctor. He is married to a retired IAF Squadron leader and has two children. 
 
India-Pakistan dogfight
 
Tensions between India and Pakistan heightened in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed on February 14. Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack.
 
Days after the Pulwama attack, the IAF carried out an airstrike at a terror camp run by Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot. On February 27, 2019 Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was shot down during a dogfight with a Pakistan Air Force jet. However, he shot down a Pakistan F-16 jet in the process.
 
Abhinandan fired an R-73 missile to take out the Pakistan F-16 aircraft before his Mig 21 Bison was hit by an AMRAAM missile. However, after bailing out from his damaged jet, he landed in Pakistan and was captured by Pakistani forces.
 
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced a day later that Pakistan would release him, which the country did. On March 1, 2019, he was handed over to the Indian authorities at the Attari-Wagah border.
 
This is when he came into the limelight. Photographs of him blindfolded and handcuffed by Pakistani army surfaced in the news as well as social media. One of the videos showed him answering questions posed by Pakistanis fearlessly.
 
On August 15, 2019, he will be conferred the Vir Chakra, India's third-highest wartime medal for shooting down the Pakistani F-16.

Latest Updates on Abhinandan Varthaman

Vir Chakra is the country's third-highest wartime gallantry award after Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra

Updated On: 23 Nov 2021 | 1:44 AM IST

Indian Air Force ace pilot Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman was accorded the Vir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind in an investiture ceremony on Monday.

Updated On: 22 Nov 2021 | 1:19 PM IST

A fleet of Indian Air Force aircraft had bombed a terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26 last year to avenge the killing of 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama

Updated On: 26 Feb 2020 | 10:34 AM IST

Days before the year draws to a close, we look back at some of the key events in economy, politics, space and judiciary that defined 2019 for India

Updated On: 28 Dec 2019 | 8:50 AM IST

From revocation of J&K's special status to the Citizenship Amendment Act, Business Standard lists six defining events of 2019 that became the biggest political issues in India

Updated On: 26 Dec 2019 | 3:38 PM IST

Google has unveiled its Year in Search 2019, which gives a glimpse into what India was searching for this year

Updated On: 12 Dec 2019 | 6:41 PM IST

Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa took the pilot's front seat and flew the entire sortie, while Abhinandan Varthaman occupied the co-pilot's rear seat

Updated On: 02 Sep 2019 | 11:06 PM IST

Varthaman was conferred the Vir Chakra, the coveted wartime gallantry medal, for downing the F-16 jet of Pakistan during the aerial combat

Updated On: 02 Sep 2019 | 2:13 PM IST

The investiture ceremony will be held on March 23 next year after Pakistan Day parade in the capital

Updated On: 15 Aug 2019 | 8:49 AM IST

The Army also got eight Shaurya Chakra awards and 98 Sena medals. The Navy got one Shaurya Chakra award

Updated On: 14 Aug 2019 | 5:20 PM IST

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is set to fly the MiG-21 again within a few weeks as a medical board cleared his return to the fighter cockpit

Updated On: 14 Aug 2019 | 12:22 PM IST

The game, 'Indian Air Force: A Cut Above', seeks to give the youth a "realistic feel of the Air Force" and motivate them to take up career in the IAF

Updated On: 31 Jul 2019 | 9:57 PM IST

Varthaman returned home from Pakistan on Friday to a hero's welcome, two days after he was captured following a dogfight when his MiG 21 was shot down

Updated On: 01 Mar 2019 | 10:58 PM IST