Gallantry awards: Prez Murmu honours 51 winners; Gaganyaan astronaut among recipients

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NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred 07 Kirti Chakras, including two posthumous, 15 Vir Chakras, including three posthumous and 29 Shaurya Chakras, including one posthumous, to personnel of the Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State/UT Police during Phase-I of the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.The awards were presented for acts of raw courage, unparalleled bravery and total disregard to personal safety in the line of duty, recognising exceptional service across operational theatres.

Gallantry awards for bravery in high-risk operations

The Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, was conferred on seven personnel, while 15 Vir Chakras and 29 Shaurya Chakras were also awarded for acts of courage and operational excellence.The honours included personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Central Armed Police Forces and State Police, reflecting a wide spectrum of counter-insurgency, combat and security operations.Several awards went to personnel from elite formations such as the Para Special Forces, Rashtriya Rifles, Assam Rifles and CRPF, along with officers involved in high-risk missions across difficult terrains.

Gaganyaan astronaut-designate among Kirti Chakra awardees

Among the Kirti Chakra recipients was Indian astronaut-designate and Indian Air Force officer Group Captain (now Air Commodore) Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, call sign “Papa”, one of the four selected Gagannauts for India’s first human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan.

The Kirti Chakra recognises courage, devotion to duty and distinguished service rendered under challenging conditions.

Recognition of sacrifice and supreme courage

The ceremony also honoured personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice, with awards presented posthumously to families of martyrs.A total of two Kirti Chakras, three Vir Chakras and one Shaurya Chakra were awarded posthumously, underscoring the risks faced by security personnel in the line of duty.

S. NoName, Rank & DetailsServiceDate of ActAward Category1Inspector Shri Laxman Kewat / Inspector Shri Rameshwar Prasad DeshmukhMHA16.04.2024Shaurya Chakra2Lt Col Neetesh Bharti Shukla, 19 SikhArmy13.07.2024Shaurya Chakra3Maj Aditya Pratap Singh, SM, Rajputana Rifles / 44 Assam RiflesArmy24.10.2024Shaurya Chakra4Maj Ashish Kumar, 7 PARA (SF)Army01.11.2024Shaurya Chakra5Constable/GD Sanjay Tiwari / Feda Hussain DarMHA02.11.2024Shaurya Chakra6AC (Now DC) Mohd Shafiq, 26 Assam RiflesArmy05.11.2024Shaurya Chakra7Lt Cdr Suraj PrasharNavy05.11.2024Shaurya Chakra8Ram Goyal, SEA II (Now LS)Navy05.11.2024Shaurya Chakra9Constable/GD Saddam HussainCRPF05.11.2024Shaurya Chakra10AC Vipin Wilson, 20 BN CRPFMHA11.11.2024Shaurya Chakra11Rifleman Bhoj Ram Sahu, 3 Assam RiflesArmy15.11.2024Shaurya Chakra12Wg Cdr (Now Gp Capt) Abhimanyu SinghAir Force21.11.2024Shaurya Chakra13Maj Bhargav Kalita, Kumaon Regiment / 50 RRArmy02.12.2024Shaurya Chakra14Maj Leishangthem Deepak Singh, 11 PARA (SF)Army25.04.2025Shaurya Chakra15Maj Anshul Balttoo, JAK LI / 32 Assam RiflesArmy29.04.2025Shaurya Chakra16Maj Shivkant Yadav, 5 PARA (SF)Army12.05.2025Shaurya Chakra17Subedar P H Moses, 1 Assam RiflesArmy14.05.2025Shaurya Chakra18Maj Vivek, Mech Inf / 42 RRArmy15.05.2025Shaurya Chakra19Rifleman Manglem Sang Vaiphei, 3 Assam RiflesArmy09.06.2025Shaurya Chakra20Lt Col Ghatage Aditya Shrikumar, 21 PARA (SF)Army13.07.2025Shaurya Chakra21Capt Yogender Singh Thakur, 6 PARA (SF)Army21.07.2025Shaurya Chakra22Subedar Shamsher Singh, 4 PARA (SF)Army28.07.2025Shaurya Chakra23L/Nk Rahul Singh, 4 PARA (SF)Army28.07.2025Shaurya Chakra24Rifleman Dhurba Jyoti Dutta, 33 Assam RiflesArmy19.09.2025Shaurya Chakra25Lt Cdr Dilna K / Lt Cdr Roopa ANavy26.01.2026Shaurya Chakra26Col Koshank Lamba, 302 Medium RegimentArmy07.05.2025Vir Chakra27Gp Capt Ranjeet Singh SidhuAir Force07.05.2025Vir Chakra28Gp Capt Manish AroraAir Force07.05.2025Vir Chakra29Gp Capt Animesh PatniAir Force07.05.2025Vir Chakra30Gp Capt Kunal KalraAir Force07.05.2025Vir Chakra31Wg Cdr (Now Gp Capt) Joy ChandraAir Force07.05.2025Vir Chakra32Lt Col Sushil Bisht, 1988 Independent Medium BatteryArmy07.05.2025Vir Chakra33Sqn Ldr (Now Wg Cdr) Sarthak KumarAir Force07.05.2025Vir Chakra34Sqn Ldr Siddhant SinghAir Force07.05.2025Vir Chakra35Sqn Ldr Rizwan MalikAir Force07.05.2025Vir Chakra36Flt Lt (Now Sqn Ldr) Aarshveer Singh ThakurAir Force07.05.2025Vir Chakra37Nb Sub Satish Kumar, 4 DograArmy10.05.2025Vir Chakra38L/Nk Meenatchi Sundaram A, Artillery / 34 RRArmy19.12.2024Kirti Chakra39Nb Sub Doleswar Subba, 2 PARA (SF)Army11.04.2025Kirti Chakra40Maj Arshdeep Singh, Armd / 1 Assam RiflesArmy14.05.2025Kirti Chakra41Air Cmde Prasanth Balakrishnan NairAir Force25.06.2025Kirti Chakra42Capt Lalrinawma Sailo, 4 PARA (SF)Army28.07.2025Kirti Chakra43L/DFR Baldev Chand, 4 RR (Posthumous)Army19.09.2025Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous)44SI (GD) Mohd Imteyaj / CT GD Deepak Chingakham (Posthumous)MHA07.05.2025Vir Chakra (Posthumous)45Rifleman Sunil Kumar, 4 JAK LI (Posthumous)Army10.05.2025Vir Chakra (Posthumous)46Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar, Mahar Regt / 1 RR (Posthumous)Army06.07.2024Kirti Chakra (Posthumous)47Lt Shashank Tiwari, Army Service Corps / 1 Sikkim Scouts (Posthumous)Army22.05.2025Kirti Chakra (Posthumous)

The Defence Investiture Ceremony is held annually to honour gallantry and distinguished service, highlighting the commitment and sacrifice of India’s armed forces and security personnel in safeguarding national security.