President Droupadi Murmu conferred 51 gallantry awards during the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, honouring acts of extraordinary bravery across India’s Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces, and State Police.

Among the recipients was Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, a Gaganyaan astronaut-designate, who received the Kirti Chakra for distinguished service under challenging conditions.

The Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026, held in New Delhi, recognised personnel for their courage, devotion to duty, and disregard for personal safety in operational theatres. A total of seven Kirti Chakras were awarded, including two posthumous honours, alongside 15 Vir Chakras with three posthumous awards, and 29 Shaurya Chakras with one posthumous recognition.

These awards highlighted the sacrifices made by India’s defenders in counter-insurgency, combat, and security operations across diverse terrains.

Sl Name, Rank & Details Service Date of Act Award Category
1 Inspector Shri Laxman Kewat / Inspector Shri Rameshwar Prasad Deshmukh MHA 16.04.2024 Shaurya Chakra
2 Lt Col Neetesh Bharti Shukla, 19 Sikh Army 13.07.2024 Shaurya Chakra
3 Maj Aditya Pratap Singh, SM, Rajputana Rifles / 44 Assam Rifles Army 24.10.2024 Shaurya Chakra
4 Maj Ashish Kumar, 7 PARA (SF) Army 01.11.2024 Shaurya Chakra
5 Constable/GD Sanjay Tiwari / Feda Hussain Dar MHA 02.11.2024 Shaurya Chakra
6 AC (Now DC) Mohd Shafiq, 26 Assam Rifles Army 05.11.2024 Shaurya Chakra
7 Lt Cdr Suraj Prashar Navy 05.11.2024 Shaurya Chakra
8 Ram Goyal, SEA II (Now LS) Navy 05.11.2024 Shaurya Chakra
9 Constable/GD Saddam Hussain CRPF 05.11.2024 Shaurya Chakra
10 AC Vipin Wilson, 20 BN CRPF MHA 11.11.2024 Shaurya Chakra
11 Rifleman Bhoj Ram Sahu, 3 Assam Rifles Army 15.11.2024 Shaurya Chakra
12 Wg Cdr (Now Gp Capt) Abhimanyu Singh Air Force 21.11.2024 Shaurya Chakra
13 Maj Bhargav Kalita, Kumaon Regiment / 50 RR Army 02.12.2024 Shaurya Chakra
14 Maj Leishangthem Deepak Singh, 11 PARA (SF) Army 25.04.2025 Shaurya Chakra
15 Maj Anshul Balttoo, JAK LI / 32 Assam Rifles Army 29.04.2025 Shaurya Chakra
16 Maj Shivkant Yadav, 5 PARA (SF) Army 12.05.2025 Shaurya Chakra
17 Subedar P H Moses, 1 Assam Rifles Army 14.05.2025 Shaurya Chakra
18 Maj Vivek, Mech Inf / 42 RR Army 15.05.2025 Shaurya Chakra
19 Rifleman Manglem Sang Vaiphei, 3 Assam Rifles Army 09.06.2025 Shaurya Chakra
20 Lt Col Ghatage Aditya Shrikumar, 21 PARA (SF) Army 13.07.2025 Shaurya Chakra
21 Capt Yogender Singh Thakur, 6 PARA (SF) Army 21.07.2025 Shaurya Chakra
22 Subedar Shamsher Singh, 4 PARA (SF) Army 28.07.2025 Shaurya Chakra
23 L/Nk Rahul Singh, 4 PARA (SF) Army 28.07.2025 Shaurya Chakra
24 Rifleman Dhurba Jyoti Dutta, 33 Assam Rifles Army 19.09.2025 Shaurya Chakra
25 Lt Cdr Dilna K / Lt Cdr Roopa A Navy 26.01.2026 Shaurya Chakra
26 Col Koshank Lamba, 302 Medium Regiment Army 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra
27 Gp Capt Ranjeet Singh Sidhu Air Force 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra
28 Gp Capt Manish Arora Air Force 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra
29 Gp Capt Animesh Patni Air Force 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra
30 Gp Capt Kunal Kalra Air Force 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra
31 Wg Cdr (Now Gp Capt) Joy Chandra Air Force 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra
32 Lt Col Sushil Bisht, 1988 Independent Medium Battery Army 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra
33 Sqn Ldr (Now Wg Cdr) Sarthak Kumar Air Force 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra
34 Sqn Ldr Siddhant Singh Air Force 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra
35 Sqn Ldr Rizwan Malik Air Force 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra
36 Flt Lt (Now Sqn Ldr) Aarshveer Singh Thakur Air Force 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra
37 Nb Sub Satish Kumar, 4 Dogra Army 10.05.2025 Vir Chakra
38 L/Nk Meenatchi Sundaram A, Artillery / 34 RR Army 19.12.2024 Kirti Chakra
39 Nb Sub Doleswar Subba, 2 PARA (SF) Army 11.04.2025 Kirti Chakra
40 Maj Arshdeep Singh, Armd / 1 Assam Rifles Army 14.05.2025 Kirti Chakra
41 Air Cmde Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair Air Force 25.06.2025 Kirti Chakra
42 Capt Lalrinawma Sailo, 4 PARA (SF) Army 28.07.2025 Kirti Chakra
43 L/DFR Baldev Chand, 4 RR (Posthumous) Army 19.09.2025 Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous)
44 SI (GD) Mohd Imteyaj / CT GD Deepak Chingakham (Posthumous) MHA 07.05.2025 Vir Chakra (Posthumous)
45 Rifleman Sunil Kumar, 4 JAK LI (Posthumous) Army 10.05.2025 Vir Chakra (Posthumous)
46 Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar, Mahar Regt / 1 RR (Posthumous) Army 06.07.2024 Kirti Chakra (Posthumous)
47 Lt Shashank Tiwari, Army Service Corps / 1 Sikkim Scouts (Posthumous) Army 22.05.2025 Kirti Chakra (Posthumous)

The Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, was conferred on personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and paramilitary forces.

Among them was Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, call sign “Papa”, one of the four astronauts selected for India’s first human spaceflight mission under the Gaganyaan program. His recognition underscores the dual role of military officers in both national defence and pioneering space exploration.

Other Kirti Chakra awardees included 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, and Captain Lalrinawma Sailo of 4 PARA (Special Forces). Posthumous honours were awarded to Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar of the Mahar Regiment and Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari of the Sikkim Scouts, whose families received the awards in solemn tribute.

The Vir Chakra recipients included senior Army officers and several Indian Air Force pilots, such as Group Captains Ranjeet Singh Sidhu, Manish Arora, Animesh Patni, and Kunal Kalra, recognised for gallantry during high-risk operations. These awards reflected India’s ongoing battle against terrorism, insurgency, and hostile threats across Jammu & Kashmir, the Northeast, and border regions.

The Shaurya Chakra awards honoured personnel from the Army, Navy, CRPF, Assam Rifles, and other security forces. Notable recipients included Major Ashish Kumar of 7 Para (Special Forces) for eliminating terrorists in Anantnag, Constables Sanjay Tiwari and Feda Hussain Dar for neutralising a foreign terrorist in Srinagar despite sustaining injuries, and Wing Commander Abhimanyu Singh, who safely recovered a fighter aircraft after a catastrophic mid-air canopy failure.

Navy officers Lieutenant Commanders Dilna K and Roopa A were also recognised for their endurance and courage during the Navika Sagar Parikrama II expedition, where they sailed over 25,600 nautical miles and became the first Indians to reach Point Nemo by sailboat.

The ceremony was attended by Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, underscoring the national importance of the event. The awards not only honoured acts of gallantry but also highlighted India’s commitment to safeguarding national security across land, sea, air, and even space.

The posthumous awards served as a reminder of the supreme sacrifices made by personnel in the line of duty. Families of martyrs received the honours, reinforcing the nation’s gratitude for their loved ones’ courage and devotion.

Agencies