Republic Day 2018 : When President Ram Nath Kovind became emotional and wiped his wet eyes!

Republic Day 2018 : When President Ram Nath Kovind became emotional and wiped his wet eyes!

The world saw the emotional side of President Ram Nath Kovind today after the latter was seen wiping his eyes during the Republic Day function. He got emotional soon after awarding Ashok Chakra to Indian Air Force Garud Commando Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala posthumously. He was killed after shooting down three terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir in 2017.

Moments after presenting the award Corporal Nirala’s wife Sushmanand and his mother Malti Devi , the president was seen wiping his eyes with his handkerchief. Nirala was part of a Garud Special Forces Unit of the IAF, a detachment of which was attached to Rashtriya Rifles battalion. Last year on November 18, an offensive was launched in Bandipora based on specific inputs.

The Garud detachment approached the target house covertly where the terrorists were hiding and laid a close ambush. During the exchange of fire, Corporal Nirala was hit by a volley of small arms fire. Even after being critically injured, he continued the retaliatory fire. Later, Corporal Nirala succumbed to the fatal gunshot wounds.

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The country today celebrated its 69th Republic Day with a grand display of the military might and rich cultural heritage in the presence of leaders from all the ASEAN nations. For the first time, leaders from ten countries participated in the annual celebrations as chief guests. Also, thousands of people braved the cold weather to witness the event as the marching contingents and tableaux went past them.