UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has honoured an Indian police officer with a prestigious medal for sacrificing his life during the world body's peacekeeping mission in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Jitendra Kumar was posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjold medal on Friday at the UN headquarters during a special tea reception hosted by India's Permanent Mission to the UN to commemorate the International Day of UN Peacekeepers and pay homage to those who couldn't return after their service in the missions.
Kumar, who is among the 119 men and women to be awarded the medal for their courage and sacrifice in the line of duty, laid down his life while serving in the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Central African country.
India's envoy to the UN Syed Akbaruddin received the award on his behalf.
The recipients for this year's award included military and police personnel, international civil servants, national staff and UN Volunteers from 38 countries who served in 12 different UN peace operations around the world.
Admiring their bravery and courage, the UN chief said, hailing from different backgrounds, our fallen heroes were united in their efforts to help the UN attain its most important objective - to save further generations from the scourge of war."
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