By IANS,
Mumbai : The Congress party and the Mumbai-based KBJ Group have joined hands to institute a series of awards to be conferred on security personnel and others who displayed courage during terrorist attacks in the country.
“We will be giving the awards to those who displayed exemplary courage in various fields and inspired their countrymen. These awardees include those who battled the terrorists who attacked Mumbai and the parliament house,” said Mumbai Regional Congress Committee secretary Krishna Hegde, ahead of the awards ceremony here Saturday.
The families of slain Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, additional commissioner of police Ashok Kamte, ‘encounter specialist’ Vijay Salaskar, Mumbai policeman Tukaram Omble, National Security Guard’s Sandeep Unnikrishnan – all of whom were killed battling the terrorists who attacked Mumbai Nov 26-29 – will receive the Krantiveer Puraskar.
The families of security personnel Kamesh Kumari, Nanak Chand, Vijender Singh, J.P. Yadav and journalist Vikram Bisht, who were killed in the attack on parliament, will receive the Shaurya Puraskar, a statement said.
Others who will be recognised include Swami Ashutoshji Maharaj, who has shown the path of spirituality to criminals in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, Olympians Vijendra Singh and Sushil Kumar, and Prince and Vandan, children who survived after falling into bore wells.
“Bansilal Chawla, father of the late astronaut Kalpana Chawla, will present a special award in her memory to encourage and inspire the new generation to aim for the ultimate heights in life,” said Mohit Kamboj, managing director of the KBJ Group, which has instituted the awards.