PNB names six branches after war heroes

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 15

Coinciding with the 73rd Army Day, public sector lender Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Friday dedicated six of its branches to war heroes who were conferred gallantry awards in various battles and operations.

PNB’s branch at Jalandhar Cantonment has been named after Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, the only IAF officer to have been decorated with the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) – the nation’s highest gallantry award. He had shot down intruding Pakistani Sabre aircraft over Srinagar during the 1965 Indo-Pak war, but had died in action.

The branch at Jammu Cantonment has been named after Naib Subedar (Honorary Captain) Bana Singh.

Belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, Bana Singh led the team which conquered the highest peak in Siachen glacier as part of Operation Rajiv in 1987, for which he was awarded the PVC. The peak was named as ‘Bana Post’ in his honour.

Two other branches have also been renamed after PVC recipients. Capt Manoj Kumar Pandey’s name has been etched at the Lucknow’s Sadar Bazar branch.

An officer from 11 Gorkha Rifles, Pandey had shown most conspicuous bravery, indomitable courage, exemplary personal valour, outstanding leadership and devotion to duty of an exceptionally high order, in the face of the enemy and made the supreme sacrifice during the attack on Jubar Top in Batalik Sector during the 1999 Kargil conflict.

Company Havildar Major Piru Singh of the Rajputana Rifles has a branch in Jaipur named after him. He was decorated with the PVC posthumously for successfully occupying a Pakistani medium machine-gun post in Tithwal sector of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947. By that time he was left alone and as he moved out and lobbed grenades at the next enemy post, he fell to enemy fire.

Two Maha Vir Chakra recipients, Brigadier Mohammad Usman and Captain Anuj Nayyar, have a branch in Agra and New Delhi, respectively, named after them.

Brigadier Usman had been killed in July 1948 while fighting Pakistani soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir, while Captain Nayyar had laid down his life in Mushkoh Valley during the Kargil conflict.