Honoring Defence Excellence
President Murmu Concludes Two-Phase Defence Investiture, Honoring Gallantry and Distinguished Service
Anonymous
Key Points
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Phase II of the Defence Investiture Ceremony included seven recipients of the highest wartime distinguished service award, with named honorees including Air Marshal Manish Khanna, Air Marshal Praveen Keshav Vohra, Air Commodore Ajay Kumar Chaudhary, Air Commodore Prabhat Malik and Group Captain Kamran Nazeer.
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Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) honours in Phase II covered a large cohort—30 recipients in total—with Admiral Krishna Swaminathan heading the PVSM list; Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit was also named among PVSM awardees.
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Among the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) recipients in Phase II was Subedar Hokato Sema of 9 Assam, notable as a Paralympic medallist who lost a leg in a mine blast during service; other AVSM awardees included senior officers such as Air Marshal Tarun Chaudhry, Lt Gen Neeraj Varshney, Vice Admiral Anand Y Sardesai and Coast Guard Additional Director General Donny Michael.
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Phase I of the Defence Investiture Ceremony (June 8) awarded 51 gallantry honours, including two Kirti Chakras (posthumous), three Vir Chakras (posthumous) and one Shaurya Chakra (posthumous); notable Kirti Chakra recipients included Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundaram A, Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba, Major Arshdeep Singh, Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair and Captain Lalrinawma Sailo.
President Droupadi Murmu presided over the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 Phase II in New Delhi on June 29, handing out 105 distinguished service decorations to senior officers across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. The event came three weeks after Phase I on June 8, when 51 gallantry awards were given out — bringing the total honours across both ceremonies to 156. ANI reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the nation is "proud of their extraordinary courage, commitment and selfless service."
The two-phase ceremony was shaped heavily by the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, a recent military campaign that drove a surge in operational service awards. Several recipients are also on the cusp of taking the top jobs in India's military hierarchy, making the ceremony a formal stamp of approval on the country's incoming defence leadership.
Top Brass Collect Honours Ahead of New Postings
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, set to become the 51st Vice Chief of the Air Staff on July 1, received the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) — the highest peacetime distinguished service honour. Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, who takes over as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff on June 30, was awarded the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM), given for distinguished service during military operations. jammulinksnews.com noted that Major General Mandeep Singh also received the Sena Medal during the ceremony.
Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, the 27th Chief of the Naval Staff who assumed office on May 31, headed the full PVSM list of 30 recipients, according to news.ssbcrack.com. Seven officers received the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal (SYSM), the highest wartime distinguished service award. Among them were Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai and Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, both recognised for their leadership during Operation Sindoor.
Paralympian Soldier's Story Stands Out in Phase II
The most striking individual story from Phase II belonged to Subedar Hokato Hotozhe Sema of 9 Assam. He lost a leg in a mine blast in 2002 during active service. He then went on to win a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. President Murmu awarded him the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), making him the first Paralympian to receive the honour, news.ssbcrack.com reported.
The AVSM list totalled 56 recipients across all services. Other notable awardees included Surgeon Vice Admiral Kavita Sahai, Air Marshal Tarun Chaudhry, Lt Gen Neeraj Varshney, Vice Admiral Anand Y Sardesai and Coast Guard Additional Director General Donny Michael. Military analysts say Sema's recognition could boost funding for the Army's Paralympic Node programme in Pune.
Phase I Gave Out 51 Gallantry Awards, Including Posthumous Medals
Phase I on June 8 focused on raw battlefield courage. President Murmu gave out 7 Kirti Chakras — India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award — with 2 awarded posthumously. Recipients included Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundaram A of 34 Rashtriya Rifles, Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba and Major Arshdeep Singh of 1 Assam Rifles. Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, an astronaut-designate for India's Gaganyaan space mission, also received a Kirti Chakra.
The Phase I count also included 15 Vir Chakras, 3 of them posthumous, and 29 Shaurya Chakras, 1 posthumous. Recipients came from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Central Armed Police Forces and state police — reflecting what officials called a "whole-of-government" approach to national security. PM Modi attended along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Operation Sindoor Looms Large Over Both Ceremonies
The shadow of Operation Sindoor ran through both phases of the ceremony. The 7 Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals and 12 Uttam Yudh Seva Medals handed out in Phase II — both operational wartime categories — are directly linked to the campaign. Named SYSM recipients included Air Marshals Manish Khanna and Praveen Keshav Vohra, Air Commodores Ajay Kumar Chaudhary and Prabhat Malik, and Group Captain Kamran Nazeer.
Military analysts told ANI that the timing of awards to incoming service chiefs Seth and Dixit was a deliberate "confidence-building measure" for the new high command. The dual-phase structure — splitting gallantry from distinguished service — was seen as a way to balance recognition of ground-level bravery with the strategic leadership of senior commanders.
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