New Delhi, June 29: President Droupadi Murmu awarded distinguished service decorations to 105 officers and personnel from the armed forces and the Indian Coast Guard during the Defense Decoration Ceremony 2026 (Phase II) held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The honors included 7 Gallantry Medals, 30 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, 12 Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, and 56 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals.
These awards were presented to military personnel who demonstrated exceptional leadership, outstanding professional competence, and unique dedication to national service in both peace and operational conditions.
Senior officials from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Indian Coast Guard were also honored for their significant contributions. Notable recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal included Air Marshal Tarun Chaudhary, Lieutenant General Neeraj Varshney, Lieutenant General Vikas Rohela, Lieutenant General Harbinder Singh Wandra, Lieutenant General Mohinder Pal Singh, Lieutenant General Ranjit Singh, Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar, Lieutenant General Shamser Singh Virk, Lieutenant General Aditya Vikram Singh Rathi, Lieutenant General Harpal Singh, and Lieutenant General Puneet Ahuja.
From the Navy, Vice Admiral Anand Y. Sardesai, Vice Admiral Rajat Kapoor, Vice Admiral Srinivas Kudaravalli, Vice Admiral Sushil Menon, and Vice Admiral Anil Jaggi were recognized. The Air Force also saw Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal, Air Marshal K. A. A. Sanjeeb, and Air Marshal S. Srinivasan Rao receiving the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.
Additionally, Dr. Donny Michael, Additional Director General of the Indian Coast Guard, was honored. Several Major General-level officers, including Sudhir Kumar Sharma, Sujit Shivaji Patil, Gurpreet Singh Choudhary, Ashish Shah, Amar Ramdasani, Vikas Chaudhary, Tarun Agarwal, Vikrant Suresh Deshpande, Vivek Narang, Parveer Singh Puniya, Arindam Saha, and Mahipal Singh Rathore, were also awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.
Notably, Havildar H. Hokato Sema from the 9 Assam Regiment received the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. This recognition for a junior commissioned officer is seen as a testament to his exceptional and inspiring service. Recipients of the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal included Southern Command Chief Lieutenant General Dheeraj Seth, Air Marshal Manish Khanna, 15 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Prashant Srivastava, 9 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Rajan Sharawat, 3 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Abhijit S. Pendharkar, 4 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Gambiri Singh, and 16 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Prasanna Kishore Mishra. These officers were honored for their excellent leadership and wartime services in critical operational areas.
The Defense Decoration Ceremony symbolizes the professional excellence, discipline, and dedication of the Indian Armed Forces to national security. The President congratulated all honored officers and personnel, stating that their exceptional services significantly contribute to strengthening the country’s defense capabilities and ensuring national security.
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