President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred 51 gallantry awards, including seven Kirti Chakras, 15 Vir Chakras and 29 Shaurya Chakras, on personnel of the Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State and Union Territory Police during Phase-I of the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the honours included two Kirti Chakras (posthumous), three Vir Chakras (posthumous) and one Shaurya Chakra (posthumous), awarded for exceptional courage, conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during operations in challenging and high-risk conditions between 2024 and 2026.
Among the Kirti Chakra awardees were Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundaram A of the Regiment of Artillery attached to 34 Rashtriya Rifles, Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba of 2 PARA (Special Forces), Major Arshdeep Singh of 1 Assam Rifles, Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair of the Indian Air Force, and Captain Lalrinawma Sailo of 4 PARA (Special Forces).
Also read: President Murmu confers Ashoka Chakra on Shubhanshu Shukla
The Vir Chakra recipients included Colonel Koshank Lamba of the Indian Army and several Indian Air Force pilots, among them Group Captains Ranjeet Singh Sidhu, Manish Arora, Animesh Patni and Kunal Kalra, alongside other Army and Air Force personnel recognised for operational gallantry.
The Shaurya Chakra honours were awarded to personnel from the Army, Navy, CRPF, Assam Rifles and other security forces for counter-insurgency and security operations conducted across different theatres. The list included officers and soldiers cited for operational excellence and bravery in hostile conditions.
The President also posthumously conferred awards on personnel who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, including Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar and Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari, both awarded the Kirti Chakra (posthumous). Rifleman Sunil Kumar and two CAPF personnel received the Vir Chakra (posthumous), while Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand was awarded the Shaurya Chakra (posthumous).
The Ministry of Defence said the awards recognise acts of indomitable courage, selfless service and conspicuous bravery in the face of grave danger.
Follow us
