Rourkela: Indian Air Force Wing Commander Chinmaya Patra, a native of Rourkela in Odisha, was conferred with the prestigious Vayu Sena medal on Friday for exhibiting exemplary courage during ‘Operation Triveni’ to rescue security personnel who sustained injuries in Naxal attack.
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari presented the medal to Chinmaya at the Investiture Ceremony held at the Air Force Auditorium, Subroto Park in New Delhi.
Wing Commander Chinmaya, stationed in the MI-17 V5 chopper unit, was involved in ‘Operation Triveni’ to evacuate the injured and dead jawans after a Naxal attack at Bijapur in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on April 3, 2021. In the said ‘high-risk’ operation, Chinmaya performed tasks such as landing aircraft in completely unfamiliar and adverse locations.
After guiding two army helicopters to the main and nodal helipads as per the initial plan, he successfully landed his helicopter in another area adjacent to the encounter site where the jawans were martyred.
From there, he shifted seven seriously injured jawans to Raipur and guided the second helicopter to the landing site. With extraordinary commitment, quick wit, and quick action, he evacuated 18 wounded and 22 martyred soldiers from the attack site.
Chinmaya’s house is in Chhenda Colony of Rourkela. He is the only son of Naresh Patra and Sabita Patra. He joined the National Defence Academy in 2003 after completing his Class 12 at a local English medium school. He was commissioned as Squadron Leader in the Indian Air Force in 2007 and was promoted as a Wing Commander in 2020.
