Fighting COVID-19: 26/11 Hero Auctions His Marathon Medals To Raise Funds

Mumbai: Praveen Teotia, one of India’s 26/11 heroes who is now a marathon runner, is selling his medals to raise funds for the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

Teotia was among Indian Navy’s MARCOS marine commandos, who were part of ‘Operation Black Tornado’ at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai in November 2008. In the exchanges with the terrorists, Teotia took four bullets on his chest, suffering a serious injury, and also damaged his left ear.

“After Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked for a contribution to the relief fund, I decided to auction 40 of my medals on online platforms. I have already managed to sell two of them and received a sum of Rs 2 lakh. It has been deposited in PM-CARES relief fund,” Teotia, who has participated in several marathon events across the world, told indianexpress.com.

“These are medals that I have earned with my sweat and tears when I ran after recovering from bullet injuries suffered during the 26/11 attack. So I am giving them away and hoping to inspire others to contribute whatever little way they can,” the Shaurya Chakra awardee told Indian Express.

“I believe in this fight we are all together. Let us not criticise each other at this moment and stand side by side.”