New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday announced gallantry awards for security personnel, including heroes of Operation Sindoor, the military action carried out to destroy nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
“President Smt Droupadi Murmu has approved 127 Gallantry awards and 40 Distinguished Service awards to the Armed Forces and Central Armed Police Forces personnel on the eve of Independence Day 2025. These are: 04 Kirti Chakras; 15 Vir Chakras; 16 Shaurya Chakras; 02 Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry); 58 Sena Medals (Gallantry); 06 Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry); 26 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry); 07 Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals; 09 Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and 24 Yudh Seva Medals,” the Defence Ministry said in a press release.
“The President has also approved 290 Mention-in-Despatches – 115 personnel of the Indian Army, 05 of the Indian Navy, 167 of the Indian Air Force and 03 of the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB),” it added.
Nine Indian Air Force officers, including fighter pilots, have been conferred the Vir Chakra, the nation’s third-highest wartime gallantry award, for their exceptional bravery and precision in striking terrorist group headquarters in Pakistan and PoK. The awardees comprise four Group Captains, one Wing Commander, three Squadron Leaders, and one Flight Lieutenant.
The Vir Chakra awardees are Colonel Koshank Lamba, Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht, Naib Subedar Satish Kumar, Rifleman Sunil Kumar, Group Captain Ranjeet Singh Sidhu, Group Captain Manish Arora, Group Captain Animesh Patni, Group Captain Kunal Kalra, Wing Commander Joy Chandra, Squadron Leader Sarthak Kumar, Squadron Leader Siddhant Singh, Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik, Flight Lieutenant Aarshveer Singh, BSF Sub Inspector Mohd Imteyaz (Posthumous) and Constable Deepak Chingakham (Posthumous).
Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal for Operation Sindoor
- Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, GOC-in-Chief Northern Command
- Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, DGMO
- Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh (Retd) – FOC-in-C Western Naval Command
- Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, VCAS
- Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor – AOC-in-C Southern Air Command
- Air Marshal Jeetandra Mishra – AOC-in-C Western Air Command
- Air Marshal A.K. Bharti – DG, Air Ops
In retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 innocent people, India carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) on the intervening night of May 6 and 7.
In response, Pakistan, in a failed attempt, tried to target civilian and military installations in India on the intervening night of May 7 and 8. However, India’s air defence thwarted Pakistan’s drone and missile attack. On the night of May 9, India targeted several Pakistani airbases, including Nur Khan near Rawalpindi and Rahim Yar Khan. On May 10, Pakistan’s DGMO contacted his Indian counterpart for a ceasefire
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