Overview
- President Droupadi Murmu presented seven Kirti Chakras, 15 Vir Chakras and 29 Shaurya Chakras in Phase‑I of the Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 8, 2026, completing the government’s official list for peacetime gallantry.
- The awards cover personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Central Armed Police Forces and state police, highlighting cross‑service actions in counter‑terrorism, insurgency, border security, aviation and maritime missions.
- Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, an IAF pilot and Gaganyaan astronaut‑designate, was named among the seven Kirti Chakra recipients, linking the honours to India’s human spaceflight programme.
- Major Bhargav Kalita received the Shaurya Chakra for leading a surgical ambush that neutralised an A++ terrorist on December 2, 2024, and officials credited him with multiple successful counter‑terror operations since October 2022.
- The ceremony included several posthumous awards and emotional moments on stage, such as President Murmu consoling the mother of Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar, and the government’s published citations are already being amplified by regional leaders and national media.