President Murmu confers 51 gallantry awards — 7 Kirti, 15 Vir, 29 Shaurya Chakras — at Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026

Phase-I of the 2026 ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan features 12 Vir Chakras for acts of 7 May 2025 to IAF pilots and Army officers — widely linked to the May 2025 aerial operations — plus posthumous Kirti Chakras for counter-insurgency acts.

What happened

• President Smt Droupadi Murmu conferred 51 gallantry awards — 7 Kirti Chakras (2 posthumous), 15 Vir Chakras (3 posthumous) and 29 Shaurya Chakras (1 posthumous) — to personnel of the Defence Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State/UT Police at Phase-I of Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi, on 8 June 2026.
• The awards recognise personnel displaying raw courage, unparalleled bravery and total disregard to personal safety in the line of duty.
• Notably, 12 of the 15 Vir Chakras cite 7 May 2025 as the date of act and cover IAF Group Captains, Wing Commanders and Squadron Leaders (pilots) and Army officers — a cluster widely associated with aerial and ground operations during the India-Pakistan confrontation of May 2025 (Operation Sindoor). One Vir Chakra for a Naib Subedar/Army cites 10 May 2025.
• Posthumous Kirti Chakras: Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari (Army Service Corps, 1 Sikkim Scouts, act date 22 May 2025) and Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar (Mahar Regiment, 1 Rashtriya Rifles, act date 6 July 2024) were honoured posthumously — reflecting counter-insurgency and border-operations sacrifice.
• Shaurya Chakras (peacetime bravery) spanned MHA Inspectors, para-SF and infantry officers, Navy officers and Assam Rifles riflemen, with dates of act from April 2024 to January 2026 — illustrating that internal-security and counter-insurgency operations run continuously.
• The ceremony underscores that CAPF and State/UT Police personnel are eligible for gallantry awards alongside the three services — a point often overlooked in exam preparation.

For Prelims

• Gallantry award hierarchy — wartime: Param Vir Chakra (highest) → Maha Vir Chakra → Vir Chakra. Peacetime: Ashoka Chakra (highest) → Kirti Chakra → Shaurya Chakra. Get these two three-tier hierarchies right — the most tested fact from this card.
• Vir Chakra: India's third-highest wartime gallantry award — for 'acts of bravery in the face of the enemy.' The 12 Vir Chakras for 7 May 2025 signal aerial/ground actions against an adversary; the date cluster is the key UPSC signal about the May 2025 operations.
• Kirti Chakra: Second-highest peacetime gallantry award — for 'conspicuous gallantry otherwise than in the face of the enemy' (counter-terrorism, internal security, disaster response). Posthumous award means the decoration goes to the next of kin.
• Shaurya Chakra: Third-highest peacetime award — most frequently conferred of the peacetime trio. MHA (CRPF, BSF, Assam Rifles) and State Police personnel receive it regularly alongside armed-forces personnel.
• Defence Investiture Ceremony: The formal presidential ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan where the President (as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces) confers gallantry, distinguished-service and other military awards; usually held in two or more phases. 'Phase-I' covers part of the total awards list.
• CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces): Includes CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, NSG, SSB and Assam Rifles — under the Ministry of Home Affairs, NOT the Ministry of Defence. CAPF personnel are eligible for gallantry awards (especially Shaurya/Kirti Chakra for counter-insurgency acts) — a high-yield distinction.
• Rashtriya Rifles (RR): The Army's dedicated counter-insurgency force, deployed primarily in Jammu & Kashmir; units are named by number (e.g. 1 RR, 44 RR). RR awardees appear frequently in Shaurya/Kirti citations — know it as the Army's internal-security arm in J&K.
• Don't confuse: Gallantry awards (for bravery in hazardous acts / enemy contact) are NOT the same as Distinguished/Meritorious Service awards (Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal — for long/distinguished service). Vir Chakra is wartime; Shaurya Chakra is peacetime — do not swap them.

For Mains

Syllabus: GS3.15 · Linkage L1