President Droupadi Murmu on Friday approved 78 gallantry awards, including 13 posthumous honours, for personnel of the Defence Forces and Central Armed Police Forces on the eve of India‘s 80th Independence Day.
The awards recognise acts of exceptional bravery and courage by personnel serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force and forces under the ministry of home affairs. The President also approved 89 Mention-in-Despatches for distinguished service.
The gallantry awards include nine Kirti Chakras, one Bar to Shaurya Chakra, 19 Shaurya Chakras, five Bars to Sena Medal (Gallantry), 36 Sena Medals (Gallantry), three Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and five Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).
78 gallantry awards approved by President Murmu
The 78 awards approved by President Murmu are spread across India’s armed forces and Central Armed Police Forces. The honours include both individual gallantry awards and higher distinctions for personnel WHO have demonstrated exceptional courage in service.
- 9 Kirti Chakras, including 7 posthumous
- 1 Bar to Shaurya Chakra
- 19 Shaurya Chakras, including 1 posthumous
- 5 Bars to Sena Medal (Gallantry)
- 36 Sena Medals (Gallantry), including 5 posthumous
- 3 Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry)
- 5 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry)
The 13 posthumous awards recognise personnel who lost their lives while displaying exceptional bravery during their service.
Nine personnel receive Kirti Chakra
The Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, has been conferred on nine personnel. Seven of the awards are posthumous.
The awardees are:
- Lt Col Manoj Francis, 21 Para (Special Forces)
- Major Jitendra Rathee, 2 Para (Special Forces)
- Havildar Gajendra Singh, 2 Para (Special Forces) posthumous
- Head Constable Jagbir Singh posthumous
- Head Constable Bashir Ahmad posthumous
- Special Grade Constable Jaswant Singh posthumous
- Special Grade Constable Balvinder Singh posthumous
- Special Grade Constable Tariq Hussain posthumous
- Inspector Sunil Kumar, STF posthumous
The awards recognise personnel from different units and formations, reflecting acts of courage across the Security forces.
Major Aditya Pratap Singh gets Bar to Shaurya Chakra
Major Aditya Pratap Singh of 44 Assam Rifles has been awarded the Bar to Shaurya Chakra.
The distinction recognises a recipient who has previously received the Shaurya Chakra and has subsequently demonstrated further acts of gallantry deserving of another recognition.
The President also approved 19 Shaurya Chakras, including one posthumous award.
19 personnel receive Shaurya Chakra
The Shaurya Chakra recipients include personnel from the Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Army and armed forces recipients listed among the awardees are:
- Major Paramveer, 36 Rashtriya Rifles
- Major Tarun Vasudevan, 57 Rashtriya Rifles
- Major Keshav Kumar, 12 Dogra Regiment
- Major Gaurav Singh Brijwal, 21 Grenadiers
- Major Vipeen Kumar, 11 Rashtriya Rifles
- Naib Subedar Shankar Ram, 3 Assam Rifles
- Naib Subedar Dabbal Singh Bisht, 21 Para (Special Forces)
- Havildar Jagattar Singh, 4 Para (Special Forces)
- Lance Naik Narender Sindhu, 9 Rashtriya Rifles posthumous
- Lance Naik Kapil Dev, 11 Rashtriya Rifles
- Sepoy Jaswinder Singh, 7 Sikh Light Infantry
- Lieutenant Commander Shivam Kumar, Indian Navy
- Squadron Leader Sudhir Kumar, Indian Air Force
Six other Shaurya Chakra recipients are from forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs:
- Deputy Superintendent Dheeraj Singh Katoch
- Inspector Ajay Singh Chib
- Deputy Superintendent Sukhvir Singh
- Assistant Sub-Inspector Niyaz Ahmad
- Deputy Commandant Anjani Kumar
- Constable Deepak Sah
Five personnel receive Bar to Sena Medal
The President has also approved five Bars to Sena Medal (Gallantry), recognising further acts of bravery by personnel who had previously been honoured.
Among those named are Major DS Paosho of 7 Madras and Major Krishan Kant of 21 Para (Special Forces).
The Bar to Sena Medal is a significant distinction because it recognises additional gallantry by personnel who have already received the Sena Medal for courage.
36 Sena Medals approved, including five posthumous awards
A total of 36 Sena Medals (Gallantry) have been approved, including five posthumous honours.
Among the recipients are:
- Lt Col Pushkar Vijay Chaudhary, 27 (I) R&O Flight
- Major Mohit Podia, 37 Assam Rifles
- Captain Karan Singh Cheema, 59 Rashtriya Rifles
- Captain Anshumaan Singh, 11 Para (Special Forces)
- Subedar Pawan Kumar, 11 Para (Special Forces)
The posthumous Sena Medal recipients include Subedar Perbhat Gaur of 9 Rashtriya Rifles, Lance Havildar Palash Ghosh of 19 Rashtriya Rifles and Sepoy Harminder Singh of 19 Rashtriya Rifles.
The awards recognise gallantry by personnel serving across different Army formations and units.
Navy personnel honoured with Nao Sena Medal
Three Indian Navy personnel have been awarded the Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry).
- Commander Vineet Sharma
- Commander Yuvraj Kumar
- POA (FD) Avinash Annaso
The awards recognise acts of gallantry by personnel serving in the Indian Navy.
Five Air Force personnel receive Vayu Sena Medal
Five Indian Air Force personnel have also been honoured with the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry).
- Group Captain Rahul Jagotta
- Group Captain Rahul Rawat
- Wing Commander Ashish Rajpoot
- Flight Lieutenant Yash
- Master Warrant Officer Ravinderjit Singh, Parachute Jump Instructor
The awards form part of the 78 gallantry honours approved by the President ahead of Independence Day.
89 Mention-in-Despatches also approved
In addition to the gallantry awards, President Murmu approved 89 Mention-in-Despatches for distinguished service.
The recognitions include:
- 75 Army personnel
- 4 Navy personnel
- 10 Air Force personnel
The Mention-in-Despatches honours include personnel associated with several operations, including Rakshak, Hifazat, Orchid, Meghdoot, Snow Leopard and Chakravyuh.
The recognition covers a wide range of personnel and operations, highlighting distinguished service across India’s armed forces.
Army personnel among notable Mention-in-Despatches recipients
Among the notable Army recipients are Col Ranveer Singh of 207 Army Aviation and Lt Col Abhishek Joshi, SM, of 666 Army Aviation.
DSP Sultan Mahmood of the Jammu and Kashmir Police has also been recognised.
Army dog Tyson of 2 Para (Special Forces) is another notable recipient included among the Mention-in-Despatches honours.
The recognition of an Army dog alongside serving personnel highlights the contribution of trained animals in military operations.
Navy and Air Force personnel also recognised
Four Navy personnel have been approved for Mention-in-Despatches. Among them are Commander Nikhil Chugh and Lieutenant Ajay Jose N Joseph.
Ten Air Force personnel have also received the recognition. The list includes Wing Commander Raja Reddy Lalita Nagesh Kumar, Wing Commander Ammar Haider Naqvi and Squadron Leader Koushik Kundarapu.
The honours recognise distinguished service across the three armed forces in addition to the separate gallantry awards.
13 gallantry awards given posthumously
One of the notable aspects of this year’s honours is the number of posthumous awards. Of the 78 gallantry awards approved by President Murmu, 13 are being conferred posthumously.
Seven of the nine Kirti Chakras are posthumous, while one of the 19 Shaurya Chakras and five of the 36 Sena Medals are also posthumous.
These awards recognise personnel whose acts of bravery came at the ultimate cost of their lives.
Independence Day honours recognise exceptional bravery
The announcement comes ahead of India’s 80th Independence Day and honours personnel from across the country’s defence and security establishment.
The awards cover the Army, Navy, Air Force and forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs, reflecting the range of personnel involved in operations and distinguished service.
From the highest peacetime gallantry distinctions among this year’s awards to Sena Medals, Nao Sena Medals and Vayu Sena Medals, the honours recognise different levels and forms of exceptional courage.
The additional 89 Mention-in-Despatches further recognise personnel for distinguished service during a range of operations.
Awards to be presented later this year
The honours approved by President Murmu will be formally presented at a ceremonial investiture later this year.
The ceremony will provide an opportunity to honour the awardees and, in the case of posthumous awards, recognise the sacrifice of personnel who died while displaying exceptional courage.
The 78 gallantry awards and 89 Mention-in-Despatches together mark one of the major Independence Day-eve recognitions for India’s defence and security personnel.
With 13 gallantry awards being conferred posthumously, the announcement also pays tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. The honours approved by the President recognise their bravery while acknowledging the distinguished service of personnel across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces.
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