Kashmiri Boy Wins Bravery Award For Helping IAF In Rescue Ops After Chopper Crash indiatoday.in

A day after the February 26 Balakot airstrike, as Indian and Pakistani fighter jets were engaged in combat over the Naushera sector in Jammu and Kashmir, news filtered in of a Mi-17 helicopter crashing in Budgam. Six IAF personnel onboard and a civilian were killed in what was a friendly-fire. While the incident was mired in controversy, a 17-year-old boy emerged as the hero of the incident. Mudasir Ashraf was one of many villagers who rushed to the crash site. The crashing helicopter hit a villager named Kifayat Hussain who caught fire.

Tall and lanky Mudasir Ashraf strode ahead of many villagers taking a lead, went close to the crashed helicopter which was still ablaze and tried to save Kifayat Hussain. Standing at the Indian Council for Child Welfare, Mudasir Ashraf is the oldest of 22 recipients of the National Bravery Award. “When I rushed in, I thought I was helping the pilot because I could see a man trapped under the helicopter debris,” Mudasir Ashraf said.