Droupadi Murmu conferred gallantry awards
during the first phase of the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 held at
Rashtrapati Bhavan
¨
Droupadi Murmu conferred
gallantry awards during the first phase of the Defence Investiture Ceremony
2026 held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 8 June 2026.
¨
A total of 7 Kirti
Chakras, 15 Vir Chakras, and 29 Shaurya Chakras were awarded during the
ceremony.
¨
Indian Air Force Air
Commodore Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair was among the recipients of the Kirti
Chakra.
¨
Prashanth Balakrishnan
Nair is one of the astronauts selected for India’s Gaganyaan Human Spaceflight
Programme.
¨
He served as a backup
astronaut for the Axiom Mission 4 in June 2025.
¨
The Kirti Chakra is
India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award.
¨
It is awarded for
conspicuous courage, devotion to duty, and exceptional bravery.
¨
Among peacetime gallantry
awards, it ranks immediately below the Ashoka Chakra.
¨
The Vir Chakra is a
wartime gallantry award.
¨
The Shaurya Chakra is a
peacetime gallantry award.
¨
These awards are
conferred on personnel of the Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces
(CAPFs), and State/Union Territory Police Forces.
¨
Of the seven Kirti
Chakras awarded in 2026, two were conferred posthumously.
¨
The posthumous recipients
were Sepoy Janjal Praveen Prabhakar and Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari.
¨
Other Kirti Chakra
awardees included Lance Naik Meenakshi Sundaram A, Naib Subedar Doleshwar
Subba, Major Arshdeep Singh, Captain Lalrinawma Sailo, and Air Commodore
Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair.
¨ The 2026 gallantry awards were announced in January 2026 ahead of the 77th Republic Day celebrations.
¨ The Defence Investiture Ceremony is held at Rashtrapati Bhavan to confer military honours and gallantry awards.
