Newborn baby named Miraj to eternise Balakot bombing by Mirage 2000

Indian fighter jets Mirage 2000, which pounded a JeM terror facility at Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan was eternised by a village family here, which named a newborn baby after the lethal jet.

Miraj Singh Rathore was the name given to the baby, born minutes after the Indian fighter jets wrecked havoc on the Balakot terror camp.

The baby was born to a couple in Dabra village of Nagaur district in Rajasthan. The family has some of its members serving in the Indian armed forces.

"Nothing could be a celebration of the IAF's feat better than eternalizing it. As the feat was commanded by Mirage fighter jets and the child was born exactly when the jets were engaged in strike, we decided to name the child after the jets," said the newborn baby's father Mahaveer Singh, a school teacher by profession.

The name was suggested by the baby's uncle, who is serving the Indian Air Force and is currently posted in Nainital. He suggested the name when he learnt about the baby's birth.

"The moment he suggested the name, we lapped up the proposal, considering it to be unique and a humble recognition to the valiant feat of the Mirage 2000 jets, said Singh.

The baby's mother had labour pains at the same night and was admitted to the hospital, where she delivered the baby at about 3.50 am, coinciding with the IAF's air strike at Balakot.

The baby has one more uncle, who served the Indian Army and the family is proud of its links with the Indian armed forces.