New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has approved the Vir Chakra, India’s third-highest wartime gallantry award, for nine Indian Air Force officers, four Indian Army personnel, and two posthumous Border Security Force personnel for their exceptional role in Operation Sindoor.
The Vir Chakra went to nine IAF officers, fighter pilots included, who led the Indian strike packages from 7-10 May and executed precision strikes on terrorist headquarters in Muridke and Bahawalpur and critical Pakistani military assets.
The award recipients from the IAF include Group Captains R.S. Sidhu, Manish Arora, Animesh Patni, and Kunal Kalra; Wing Commander Joy Chandra; Squadron Leaders Sarthak Kumar, Siddhant Singh, and Rizwan Malik; and Flight Lieutenant A.S. Thakur. Their decisive actions under intense pressure were instrumental to the success of the operation.
Four Indian Army officers, including two officers from the Artillery Regiment, Colonel Koshank Lamba and Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht, along with Naib Subedar Satish Kumar from the 4 Dogra, and rifleman Sunil Kumar from Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, have also been awarded the Vir Chakra for their role during Operation Sindoor.
Besides, two BSF personnel, Sub Inspector Mohd Imteyaj and Constable Deepak Chingakham, stationed at BOP (Border Outpost) Kharkola along the Jammu International Border, were posthumously conferred the Vir Chakra for their extraordinary bravery during Operation Sindoor.
During Operation Sindoor, SI Imteyaj and Constable Chingakham fought off heavy shelling and drone attacks and refused to abandon their post despite fatal injuries.
Several other officers who played a key role in the air defence network during the operation received other honours. IAF officer Wing Commander Abhimanyu Singh received the Shaurya Chakra, and 26 officers and airmen were awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) for their extraordinary bravery.
For the first time, two Agniveers were awarded the Sena Medal for their role in Operation Sindoor, among other actions. Another Agniveer also received a Mention in Despatches.
India launched Operation Sindoor on the night of 7 May, targeting nine terror training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)—associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). The strikes came in retaliation for the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam carried out by terrorists trained and backed by Pakistan, claiming 26 lives.
After Pakistan deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure and Indian airbases, the armed forces launched a swift and calibrated retaliatory operation, striking key technical installations, command and control centres, radar systems, and weapons depots.
On Saturday, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh confirmed that the IAF’s S-400 Triumf air defence system downed five Pakistani fighter jets and one AEW&C/ELINT aircraft at a distance of nearly 300 kilometres during the operation, achieving the longest surface-to-air kill in history.
Incidentally, following the attack on the airbases, Pakistan, which had turned down the 7 May request of Indian Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai “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)
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