President awards 1st set of Sarvottam Yudh Seva medals since Kargil, 7 honoured for leading Op Sindoor
The Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals had been presented three times earlier for the highest degree of distinguished service—covering war, conflict or hostilities—in an operational context. It typically goes to officers commanding the large forces.
New Delhi: On the eve of the 79th Independence Day, President Droupadi Murmu approved the awarding of seven Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals (SYSM), the nation's highest wartime distinguished service honour, to the leaders of Operation Sindoor.
Until now, only three officers—Lieutenant General Amarjit Singh Kalkat for Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, Air Marshal Vinod Patney, and Lieutenant General Hari Mohan Khanna—have received the medal for their leadership during the Kargil War.
The Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal, considered the wartime equivalent of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), is awarded for most exceptional service in peacetime.
The IAF awardees include Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, who oversaw overall operational planning and force deployment; Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) Southern Air Command Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, responsible for providing support from southern bases and coordinating maritime air operations; and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, who directed offensive air ops and air defence along the western sector during Operation Sindoor.
Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, who served as Director General of Air Operations during Operation Sindoor, is also among this year's medal recipients. The Air Force was instrumental in carrying out precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure across Pakistan and also targeted 11 Pakistani air bases, including Nur Khan and Rahim Yar Khan.
Moreover, the IAF's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) enabled real-time coordination of air assets, helping neutralise aerial threats, such as drone swarms launched towards civilian and religious sites during the hostilities. Systems deployed included the indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air missile, as well as legacy platforms, such as the Pechora and Osa-AK, arranged in a layered defence grid.
Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, who served as Director General of Military Operations during the May skirmish, and now, holding additional charge as Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy), is among the recipients of SYSM, along with Lt Gen. Pratik Sharma, who had taken over as Northern Army Commander just a week before Operation Sindoor began.
In addition to active deployment along the LoC, the Army's air defence units worked closely with the IAF, employing shoulder-fired MANPADS, low-level air defence (LLAD) guns, and long-range surface-to-air missiles to repel successive waves of drones and loitering munitions.
For the first time, a Navy officer will be honoured with the medal, Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh (Retd), who, during Operation Sindoor, served as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Naval Command, responsible for the Arabian Sea and India's western coast.
During the operation, the Navy deployed its Carrier Battle Group (CBG), equipped with MiG-29K fighters, airborne, early-warning helicopters and submarines in the Arabian Sea, as part of a joint operational plan with the other services.
The Navy's posture confined Pakistani air assets to their western seaboard, denying them operational freedom, while naval pilots flew round-the-clock sorties that underscored readiness and strategic reach.
The Indian Armed Forces had launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of 7 May, targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation was a response to the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed by terrorists allegedly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
As ThePrint reported earlier, Pakistan, which initially turned down the request of Indian DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai on 7 May 'with an intimation that a severe response was inevitable and in the offing,' reached out to him on 10 May to propose cessation of hostilities.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: 15 Vir Chakras awarded for Op Sindoor, 9 go to IAF pilots who struck Pakistani terror camps
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