Late Air Craftsman Murali Kannan, who died during a rescue operation in Assam, has been honoured with the posthumous conferment of the Shaurya Chakra. The gallantry award was received by his mother D. Rajalakshmi from President Pranab Mukherjee at the Defence Investiture Ceremony that was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Saturday.
Kannan, who hailed from Arackal house in Kumaranalloor near Kottayam, was posted at the Dinjan Military Station in Assam.
He died on October 6, 2012 at the age of 24, during an effort to douse a ravaging fire in a residential area.
ElectrocutedHe was electrocuted when the fire baton he held came in contact with an electric line.
He had joined the Indian Air Force nearly four years ago after graduating with B.Sc. in Physics from the Nattakom Government College. Kannan’s father, D.C. Murali, was killed in a terrorist attack in Punjab in 1989 while serving with the Border Security Force (BSF).
Besides his mother, Kannan is survived by his elder brother M. Unnikrishnan, who had accompanied Ms. Rajalakshmi at the function in New Delhi.
