New Delhi, Jan 8 : The President of India has approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards to 53 people including Rukhsana Kosser who killed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Osama in September 2009 in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are given to a person for meritorious act of humane nature in saving the life of a person. The award is given in three categories, namely, Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak, and Jeevan Raksha Padak.

Persons of all walks of life are eligible for these awards. The award can also be conferred posthumously.

The Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak for the year 2009 has been awarded to Narender Kaushik (Posthumous), Delhi and Rukhsana Kosser, Jammu and Kashmir.

On September 27, 2009, three militants entered Rukhsana’s house by breaking a window and asked the family to handover her. When her parents and younger brother Aijaz tried to resist, the militants started hitting them with rifle butts.

At this moment, Rukhsana emerged from her hiding place with an axe and hit the LeT commander on his head.

One of the militants opened fire, which injured Waqalat Hussain in his arm. Meanwhile, other family members joined Rukhsana in battling the militants and she picked up the commander’s gun and snatched another from the other militant and threw it to her brother.

Both brother and sister then started opening fire killing one and injuring and forcing the others to flee leaving their weapons behind.

The decoration of the award medal, certificate signed by the Home Minister and demand draft for lump sum monetary allowance are presented to the awardee in due course by the respective Government of the State to which the awardee belongs.

The lump sum monetary allowance is given at the rate of Rs. 75, 000, Rs. 45,000 and Rs. 30,000 to the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak and Jeevan Raksha Padak awardee respectively.(ANI)