Slain Guntur jawan Jaswanth Reddy awarded Shaurya Chakra posthumously

Guntur: Sepoy Maruprolu Jaswanth Reddy who lost his life while fighting militants along the Line of Control (LoC) in Dadal in the Sunderbani sector of Jammu and Kashmir on 8 July 2021 was awarded the Shourya Chakra posthumously on the eve of Republic Day.

On the morning of 8 July 2021, Sepoy Maruprolu Jaswanth Kumar Reddy was carrying out a search in the densely forested and rugged terrain when he spotted the terrorists and immediately engaged with them. As the terrorists opened fire, Sepoy Jaswanth blocked the route that the terrorists would have used to escape. He displayed courage and eliminated one terrorist in a face-to-face gunfight.

While he crawled forward to engage other terrorists, he saw his team commander severely injured. He immediately lobbed grenades to pin down the terrorists and swiftly crawled towards his team commander to pull him to cover. In doing so, he came under heavy and effective fire and sustained grievous injuries. But disregarding his personal safety, he continued to engage the terrorists and pulled his team commander to safety before succumbing to his injuries.

The ministry of defence in a statement said that for the display of conspicuous bravery, courage under fire, and unparalled esprit-de-corps, Sepoy Maruprolu Jaswanth Kumar Reddy is recommended for Shaurya Chakra posthumously.

A resident of Dariwada Kothapalem of Bapatla in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, Sepoy Jaswanth was among two soldiers killed in the incident. The second soldier was identified as Naib Subedar Sreejith M. Two Pakistani terrorists were also shot dead in the gunfight.

Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy had announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 50 lakh to the slain jawan's family.

"The valour of Jaswanth Reddy, who hails from Dariwada Kothapalem village of Bapatla mandal in Guntur district, in fighting the terrorists on the border is highly commendable," the Chief Minister had said conveying his condolences to the bereaved family members.

Naib Subedar Sreejith M has also been awarded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously.