India awards senior military officers who planned, executed Op Sindoor

New Delhi | India on Thursday recognised the acts of gallantry by the armed forces personnel and the role of senior military brass involved in the planning and execution of Operation Sindoor in its annual list of military honours on the eve of 79th Independence Day.

Indian Air Force pilots involved in the strikes on terror infrastructure and military installations in Pakistan as well as those manning the S-400 air defence systems, which played a critical role during the May 7 to 10 hostilities between the two countries were among those conferred the coveted awards.

Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, Indian Army's DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai and Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma are among top military officers conferred Sarvottam Yudh Seva medal.

Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor and Air Marshal Jeetendra Misra, heading the South Western Air Command and the Western Air Command respectively have also been conferred Sarvottam Yudh Seva medal.

Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh, who as the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief of Western Naval Command, played a critical role in deployment of naval assets following the Pahalgam attack, has also been named for Sarvottam Yudh Seva medal.

Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, who also played a major role in finalising the Navy's deployment strategy in the aftermath of the Pahalgam strike, has been conferred Uttam Yudh Seva medal.

As many as nine fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force have been conferred prestigious Vayu Chakra.

President Droupadi Murmu approved 127 Gallantry awards and 40 Distinguished Service awards to the armed forces and central armed police forces personnel on the eve of Independence Day.

These include four Kirti Chakras, 15 Vir Chakras, 16 Shaurya Chakras, two Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 58 Sena Medals (Gallantry), six Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and 26 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).

The awards also included seven Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals, nine Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and 24 Yudh Seva Medals.

The President has also approved 290 Mention-in-Despatches, out of which 115 are from the Indian Army, five from the Indian Navy, and 167 are from the Indian Air Force.

21 CBI officers awarded medals on Independence Day eve

New Delhi | CBI officers who led the probe in major corruption cases such as the 2G spectrum and Vyapam, NEET UG 2024 paper leak, Chota Rajan case and cyber crimes were among the 21 officers awarded President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service and Police Medal for Meritorious Service on the eve of the 79th Independence Day on Thursday, an official statement said.

DIG Vivek Priyadarshi, who is known for his investigation into the 2G corruption case, Vyapam, and cases related to West Bengal post-poll violence, has been awarded the coveted President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

DIG Machhindra Ramchandra Kadole, who probed cases related to gangster Chota Rajan, corruption in the Palace on Wheels train, Ponzi scam and post poll violence cases in West Bengal, has also been awarded the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

Kadole also served as the police advisor in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

He was posted at Juba, South Sudan, as the contingent commander of the Indian police contingent for the mission, and received a UN medal for his services.

ASP Bandi Peddiraju, who led the probe into the NEET UG 2024 paper leak case, social media posts against Andhra Pradesh High Court judges, Paritala Ravi murder case, and cyber crime cases related to tech support scams impersonating Microsoft and Amazon, has also been honoured with the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

Peddiraju, who rose from the ranks of a constable, has 150 awards to his name, including the Union Home Minister's Medal for Excellence in Investigation for 2019.

Additional SP Ch Venkata Narendra Deve, Deputy SP Vishal, and Head Constable Abhijit Sen have also been awarded the President's Medal for Distinguished Service.

Fifteen CBI officers have been awarded Police Medal for Meritorious Service, an agency spokesperson said.

DIG Anoop T Mathew, Deputy Legal Advisors Bal Karan Singh, Subhash Chandra Sharma, Additional SP Sunil Dutt, Deputy SPs Ashok Kumar, K Vijaya Vaishnavi, Ajay Singh Gahlaut, Crime Assistant Dilbagh Singh Jasrotia, ASI Pawan Kumar Bhardwaj, Head Constables Mohan Singh Jadaun, Arabinda Garai and Chitimireddy Suryanarayan Reddy, Constables Satish Kumar, Rambabu Yedida, and Naval Kumar Dixit have been awarded Police Medal for Meritorious Service, the spokesperson said.