Three children from Chhattisgarh have been selected for the national bravery award this year. They will receive the award from Governor Anusuiya Uikey on January 26.

Among the three is the 11-year-old survivor of the Khudmuda homicide wherein four persons from a family were murdered, a press release said.

Durgesh Kumar Sonkar (11) was on December 21, 2020 sleeping with his family in his house in Khudmuda village in Durg district.

Some unidentified assailants attacked the house and murdered four members of his family. Hearing the commotion, the boy woke up. Worried about his three younger brothers, he covered them with sacks and the killers could not find them. 

Durgesh then came to his mother and started crying after seeing her bloodied. The attackers caught him and banged his head against the wall twice due to which Durgesh lost consciousness.

The presence of mind and bravery of the boy saved the lives of the three boys. His name was recommended for the award by the Durg Collector.

Unnati Sharma (11), a resident of RDA Colony Tikarapara, is the daughter of Dr Hemant Kumar Sharma and Dr Meena Sharma. Meena Sharma has gone to visit her brother in Raipur with her daughter and two-year-old son Shrihan. 

On March 13, Unnati’s mother and maternal uncle-aunt had gone to work. She was alone with her bother. While her bother was asleep in house she was playing with her friends. Suddenly she saw smoke from the house and heard Shrihan cry.

She rushed in and brought her brother out of the house safely. She then called other relatives who reached the spot and doused the fire.

Unnati prevented a disaster and saved her brother’s life. The Collector Raipur had recommended her name for the bravery award.

Janvi Rajput of Kurud on August 15, 2019 saved the life of his brother Shivansh who was struck by a live wire while playing on the roof.

After Shivansh came in contact with the live wire, his mother and sister tried to save him but they were thrown away by the shock. Janvi picked up a bamboo stick and hit the wire repeatedly. Shivansh was about to tumble down from roof but Janvi caught and saved him. Her name was recommended by the Dhamtari district Collector.