President Murmu Confers Seven Kirti Chakras And IAF Pilot Prasanth Nair Among Honoured

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred seven Kirti Chakras , along with 15 Vir Chakras and 29 Shaurya Chakras , including posthumous honours, during the first phase of the Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The awards recognised personnel of the armed forces, Central Armed Police Forces and police services for exceptional bravery, operational excellence and supreme sacrifice .

The Kirti Chakra recipients included Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair , an Indian Air Force officer and Gaganyatri, alongside personnel from elite formations engaged in counter-insurgency and high-risk operations. Other awardees were Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundarama (Rashtriya Rifles), Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba (Para Special Forces), Major Arshdeep Singh (Assam Rifles), Captain Lalrinawma Sailo (Para Special Forces), and two posthumous awardees Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar (Rashtriya Rifles) and Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari (Sikkim Scouts).

While individual Kirti Chakra citations were not fully detailed in the report, the honours collectively recognised acts of raw courage, close-quarter combat engagement, and decisive action against armed militants in highly volatile operational environments. The posthumous awards reflected supreme sacrifice in the line of duty .

The ceremony also highlighted extraordinary achievements among Shaurya Chakra awardees . Notably, Lt Commander Dilna K and Lt Commander Roopa A of the Indian Navy were honoured for their endurance during Navika Sagar Parikrama II , where they sailed over 25,600 nautical miles across the Indian, Pacific, Atlantic and Southern Oceans , navigating extreme conditions including the treacherous Drake Passage and reaching Point Nemo , the oceanic pole of inaccessibility.

Several Shaurya Chakra citations reflected intense counter-terror operations. In one instance, an Army officer neutralised an armed cadre at close range during a combing operation in Assam, leading to the elimination of multiple militants. In another, a Para Special Forces officer rescued a kidnapped civilian while engaging and eliminating terrorists in a high-risk encounter.

Another citation recognised a meticulously planned ambush along the Line of Control that resulted in the elimination of infiltrating terrorists without own casualties.

Officials said the awards underline the armed forces’ unwavering commitment, operational precision and sacrifice in safeguarding national security , with the President also sharing ceremony highlights and citations on social media.