Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu conferred national gallantry award Shaurya Chakra on Lieutenant Bimal Ranjan Behera on Friday.
President Murmu presented gallantry awards for 80 Armed Forces personnel, including 12 posthumously, at a glittering ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
The awards included six Kirti Chakras (three posthumous), 16 Shaurya Chakras (two posthumous), 53 Sena Medals (seven posthumous), one Nau Sena Medal (Gallantry) and four Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).
Lieutenant Behera, an Indian Navy officer, was conferred Shaurya Chakara for his fearless and daring act as a lead diver of a diving team during an operation in the Fuel Production Storage and Offloading vessel of ONGC on March 6, 2023.
Lieutenant Behera dived into a death-defying and hostile operation and carried out his duties showing gallantry, extraordinary valour and not caring for personal safety in the line of his duty.
In his reaction, Lt Behera said it was a proud moment for him to be conferred Shaurya Chakra by President Droupadi Murmu, who is also an Odia.
Lt Behera belongs to Hadua village in Kendrapada district of Odisha. His father served in the Ordinance Core of the Indian Army as an Ammnition Technician. His mother Manorama Behera is a homemaker, while his sister Manoshini Behera is Hotel Management Graduate presently working in Victoria, Australia.
Lt Behera pursued BTech in Marine Engineering from Tolani Maritime Institute, Pune. Later, he joined Indian Navy and completed his Clearance Diving course with MSc in Diving Technology from the Diving School of Indian Navy. He is presently posted as Salvage Officer (Desig) onboard upcoming DSV Nistar in Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam.
