Ashok Charka awardee martyr’s family a star attraction at President’s Republic Day ‘At Home’ reception

New Delhi, Jan 26 (ANI) The family of late Lance Naik Nazir Wani, this year’s Ashok Chakra awardee, was a star attraction at the Republic Day ‘At Home’ reception hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind here on Saturday.
At the reception hosted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman greeted Wani’s wife, mother, and son and appreciated the martyr’s bravery.
Wani, who hailed from Kashmir and got martyred in an anti-terror operation in the valley on November 25, last year, was conferred with Ashok Chakra, the country’s highest peacetime gallantry award, this morning just before the start of the Republic Day parade at the historic Rajpath here.
The award was presented to Wani’s wife and mother by the President.
At the reception, the President and the Prime Minister greeted the family and patted the martyr’s 20-year-old son Athar
Sitharaman was seen chatting with the family and gesturing to hail the martyr.
Hailing from Cheki Ashmuji area of Kulgam district in Kashmir, Wani was once a militant but he gave up the militancy and joined the Territorial Army in 2004 and was later a part of the Rashtriya Rifles.
On November 25, his unit engaged 6 heavily-armed terrorists in Hirapur village near Batgund in Kashmir.
Under an intense hail of bullets from the terrorists, he eliminated the district commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit and one foreign terrorist in a very daring display of raw courage. 
In the gunfight, he was hit multiple times, including in his head but he carried on and injured another terrorist before succumbing to his grievous injuries. (ANI)