'Highest Courage': Milind Deora, Pilots Body Call For Award For Smit Machchhar
Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora has formally requested that the Indian government award the Ashoka Chakra to pilot Smit Machchhar. The request honors the pilot's actions in saving a flydubai flight after being attacked by his co-pilot.
Why it matters
The push for a civilian award highlights the public and political desire to recognize extraordinary acts of bravery performed by Indian nationals in international settings.
Calls for honouring flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar with some of India's most prestigious awards, including Ashoka Chakra, are growing after his heroic handling of the September 30 in-flight emergency.Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora on Friday wrote to the Prime Minister's Office to award Smit Machchhar with India's highest civilian award, the Ashoka Chakra, for his bravery."What Captain Machchhar did that day went far beyond the responsibilities of his profession. Faced with an unimaginable situation in mid-air, he put the lives of others before his own and continued to act despite being seriously wounded.
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