President Droupadi Murmu conferred military honours at the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit received the PVSM, Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth the UYSM, and Maj Gen Mandeep Singh the Sena Medal for their distinguished service.
Defence Investiture Ceremony Phase 2 Honours
President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred distinguished military honours on senior officers of the Armed Forces during the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 (Phase 2) held in the national capital. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of the Air Staff-designate, was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) in recognition of his distinguished service of the most exceptional order. Army Chief-designate Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth received the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM) for his distinguished service of an exceptional order during military operations. Major General Mandeep Singh, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the White Tiger Armoured Division, was conferred the Sena Medal for his distinguished service.
"President Droupadi Murmu presented the Param Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal to Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, and the Sena Medal to Major General Mandeep Singh during the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 (Phase 2).
Phase 1 Gallantry Awards
Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu conferred 51 gallantry awards on June 8, 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. According to the Ministry of Defence, the awards included two Kirti Chakras (Posthumous), three Vir Chakras (Posthumous) and one Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous). The honours were bestowed on personnel for displaying exceptional courage, outstanding bravery and devotion to duty while carrying out operations in challenging circumstances.
Kirti Chakra Awardees
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), according to a release.
Vir Chakra Recipients
The Vir Chakra recipients included Colonel Koshank Lamba of the Army, several Indian Air Force pilots, including Group Captains Ranjeet Singh Sidhu, Manish Arora, Animesh Patni and Kunal Kalra, as well as other Army and Air Force personnel recognised for their gallantry during operations.
Shaurya Chakra Awardees
The Shaurya Chakra awardees included personnel from the Army, Navy, CRPF, Assam Rifles and other security forces. The list featured officers and soldiers who demonstrated courage and operational excellence in various counter-insurgency and security operations conducted between 2024 and 2026, the release stated.
Posthumous Honours for Supreme Sacrifice
The President also conferred posthumous awards on personnel who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. Among them were Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar of the Mahar Regiment and Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari of the Army Service Corps, who were awarded the Kirti Chakra (Posthumous). Rifleman Sunil Kumar of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and two personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces received the Vir Chakra (Posthumous), while Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand of 4 Rashtriya Rifles was awarded the Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous), the release added.
The Ministry of Defence said the gallantry awards were presented in recognition of acts of conspicuous bravery, indomitable courage and selfless service in the face of grave danger. (ANI)
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