Gurmehar Kaur being felicitated at the ‘Punjabi Icon’ awards function on Baisakhi in Mumbai.

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, April 15

Gurmehar Kaur, daughter of Kargil martyr Captain Mandeep Singh, who was recently trolled by right-wing activists for raising her voice against violence on campuses in the wake of clashes in Ramjas College, Delhi, was among others who were accorded the ‘Punjabi Icon’ awards here on the occasion of Baisakhi.Instituted by the Punjabi Cultural Heritage Board, the ‘Punjabi Icon’ awards were given to Kaur, Manish Paul, Bollywood personalities Neha Kakkar, Urvashi Rautela and others.In a statement released here, PCHB president and Congress party leader Charan Singh Sapra said the awards were given to Punjabis who had excelled in their respective areas of expertise. The chief guest at the award function was Punjab Cabinet Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.Sapra said Gurmehar Kaur was felicitated in the “Courageous Youth” category. “Gurmehar Kaur had fought against the unlawful behaviour of the ABVP. This was her first public appearance after she went into recluse, when her clash with ABVP turned into a national debate. It requires tremendous courage for a college student from a simple family to raise her voice against such unruly behavior,” Sapra said.Others who were awarded included industrialists and corporate personalities like Maruti Udyog Ltd executive director RS Kalsi, Sonalika Group chairman LD Mittal, PTC Network CEO Rajiee Shinde and Asia’s “strongest man” Manoj Chopra.