Independence Day 2025 gallantry awards: 9 Indian Air Force, 4 Army personnel get Vir Chakra for role in Op Sindoor
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 and Flight Lieutenant Aarshveer Singh Thakur are among the IAF officers who have been awarded the Vir Chakra.
Colonel Koshank Lamba of 302 Medium Regiment, Lt Col Sushil Bisht of 1988 Medium Battery, Naib Subedar Satish Kumar of 4 Dogra, and Rifleman Sunil Kumar of 4 Jammu And Kashmir Light Infantry are among the Army personnel who have got the Vir Chakra.
While the citations have not been released, it is learnt that the 13 Vir Chakras have been given to the IAF and Army personnel for their gallantry in Operation Sindoor, launched in May to target terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Seven top military officers have also been awarded the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal – a rare honour given for exceptional operational planning, coordination and execution – for their role in Operation Sindoor. This includes Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma; former Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai; former Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh; Vice Chief of IAF Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari; Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Air Command, Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor; Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra; and DG Air (Ops) Air Marshal AK Bharti.
These are among the 127 gallantry awards and 40 distinguished service awards that President Droupadi Murmu approved for the Armed Forces and Central Armed Police Forces personnel on Thursday, on the eve of Independence Day.
Four Army personnel have also been awarded the Kirti Chakra, which is the second highest peacetime gallantry award. Captain Lalrinawma Sailo from 4 Para (Special Forces), Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari from the Army Service Corps, Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundaram A and Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar of 34 and 1 Rashtriya Rifles are learnt to have got the award for their role in counter-terrorist operations.
Eight from the Army, one from the IAF and two from the Navy have also been awarded the Shaurya Chakra.
In total, the President approved 4 Kirti Chakras, 15 Vir Chakras, 16 Shaurya Chakras, 2 Bar to Sena Medals, 58 Sena Medals, six Nao Sena Medals, 26 Vayu Sena Medals; seven Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals; nine Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and 24 Yudh Seva Medals.
The President has also approved 290 Mention-in-Despatches — 115 from the Army, 5 from the Navy, 167 from the IAF, and 3 from the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB).
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