Thirteen members of the Indian armed forces have been awarded the Vir Chakra, the country’s third-highest wartime gallantry honour, for their exceptional bravery during Operation Sindoor. The awards were announced on the eve of India’s 79th Independence Day as part of the national gallantry honours list for 2025.
The recipients include nine officers and airmen from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and four soldiers from the Indian Army, all recognised for acts of conspicuous courage in the face of enemy fire during the high-risk mission earlier this year.
According to the Ministry of Defence, Operation Sindoor involved coordinated air and ground actions in a volatile conflict zone, aimed at rescuing civilians and neutralising hostile threats. The mission, carried out in cooperation with international allies, was hailed as a strategic and humanitarian success.
President Droupadi Murmu approved the gallantry awards following detailed recommendations from the armed forces. “These brave men demonstrated remarkable courage, determination, and selflessness under extremely challenging conditions,” the ministry’s citation read.
Among the awardees, IAF pilots were credited with flying into heavily contested airspace under hostile fire to extract stranded civilians, while Army personnel provided critical ground support, securing evacuation corridors and engaging enemy combatants to protect the rescue operation.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the awardees, calling them “true embodiments of the armed forces’ ethos of service before self.” He said their actions had not only ensured the safety of hundreds of lives but had also enhanced India’s standing as a reliable partner in global humanitarian operations.
The Vir Chakra is awarded for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea, or in the air. It ranks after the Param Vir Chakra and the Maha Vir Chakra in India’s wartime honours hierarchy.
Full details of Operation Sindoor remain classified, but officials have confirmed that it required precision planning, split-second decision-making, and exceptional inter-service coordination.
The award ceremony will take place at Rashtrapati Bhavan later this year, where the President will personally confer the medals on the recipients or their families.
