Vir Chakra

• Name — Vir Chakra • Presenter — India Republic of India • Country — India Republic of India • Type — Military medal • Eligibility — Military Personnel Only • Awarded For — Acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land or at sea or in the air. • Status — Currently Awarded • Post Nominals — VrC • Firstawarded — 1947 • Lastawarded — 15th August, 2025 • Total Awarded Posthumously — 362 • Total Recipients — 1335 (As of 2023) • Higher — * Illustration — x15px Ati Vishisht Seva Medal • Same — * Illustration — x15px Shaurya Chakra • Lower — * Illustration — x15px Yudh Seva Medal

It was established by the President of India on 26 January 1950 (with effect from 15 August 1947). The statutes were amended on 12 January 1952 to readjust the order of wearing as new decorations were established. It replaced the British Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), Military Cross (MC) and Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Award of the decoration carries with it the right to use Vr.C. as a postnominal abbreviation [note the care to distinguish this abbreviation from that for the Victoria Cross (V.C.)

The medal is inch circular silver medal. A five pointed star, with the chakra in the centre, and, on this, the domed gilded state emblem. The decoration is named on the rim and suspended from a swiveling straight-bar suspender. The decoration is almost always named and dated on the edge. Around a plain centre, two legends are separated by lotus flowers; with Vir Chakra in Hindi above and in English below. The ribbon is 32 mm, half dark blue and half orange-saffron; dark blue 16 mm, saffron 16 mm. The award carries with it a cash allowance and, in some cases, a lump sum cash award. This has been a rather controversial issue throughout the life of the decoration. From 1 February 1999, the central government set a monthly stipend of Rs. 850 for recipients of the award. In addition, many states have established individual pension rewards for the recipients of the decoration.

A total of 1327 personnel received Vir Chakra. Some of the notable Vir Chakra awardees include: Key • † — Indicates posthumous honour • Rank — Recipient — Service — Date • Lieutenant — TGN Pai — Indian Army — 1950 — 1947 Indo-Pakistan War • Jemadar — Kanikasami — Indian Army — 1947 — 1947 Indo-Pakistan War • Major — HS Bains — Indian Army — 1948 — 1948 Operation Polo • Brigadier — Harbaksh Singh — Indian Army — 1 May 1948 — 1948 Operation Polo • Lieutenant Colonel — Girdhari Singh — Indian Army — 26 February 1948 — 1947 Indo-Pakistan War • Subedar Major and Honorary Captain — Bhim Chand — Indian Army — 23 August 1948 and 27 December 1948 (2) — 1947 Indo-Pakistan War • Air Vice Marshal — Ranjan Dutt — Indian Air Force — 26 Jan 1950 — 1947 Indo-Pakistan War • Major — Tirath Singh Oberoi — Indian Army — 26 Jan 1950 — 1947 Indo-Pakistan War • Major General — Ashwani Kumar Diwan — Indian Army — 18 Nov 1962 — 1962 Sino-Indian War • Wing Commander — Krishan Kant Saini — Indian Air Force — 18 Nov 1962 — 1962 Operation Leg Horn • Signalman — DC Dhilan — Indian Army — 1963 — 1963 • Havildar — KG George — Indian Army — 1965 — 1965 Indo-Pakistan War • Lieutenant General — Zorawar Chand Bakshi — Indian Army — 05 Aug 1965 — 1965 Operation Ablaze • Wing Commander — Trevor Keelor — Indian Air Force — 03 Sep 1965 — 1965 Operation Riddle • Flight Lieutenant — Virendera Singh Pathania — Indian Air Force — 04 Sep 1965 — 1965 Operation Riddle • Air Commodore — Alfred Tyrone Cooke — Indian Air Force — 07 Sep 1965 — 1965 Operation Riddle • Naib Subedar — Ganesh Datt — Indian Army — 07 Sep 1965 — 1965 Indo-Pakistan War • Naib Risaldar — Mohammed Ayub Khan — Indian Army, 18 Cavalry — 09 Sep 1965 — 1965 Indo-Pakistan War • Wing Commander — Amar Jit Singh Sandhu — Indian Air Force — 17 Sep 1965 — 1965 Indo-Pakistan War • Lt Col — Russi Hormusji Bajina — Indian Army — 18 Sep 1965 — 1965 Operation Riddle • Air Marshal — Denzil Keelor — Indian Air Force — 19 Sep 1965 — 1965 Operation Riddle • Lieutenant General — Mohammad Ahmad Zaki — Indian Army — 20 Sep 1965 — 1965 Operation Riddle • Admiral — Laxminarayan Ramdas — Indian Navy — 01 Dec 1971 — 1971 Operation Cactus Lily • Brigadier — JK Tomar — Indian Army — 03 Dec 1971 — 1971 Operation Cactus Lily • Lieutenant Colonel — Satish Nambiar — Indian Army — 11 Dec 1971 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Brigadier — P V Sahadevan — Indian Army — 16 Dec 1971 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Captain — Prashant Kumar Ghosh — Indian Army — 1971 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Lieutenant Colonel — Vikram Deuskar — Indian Army — 16 Dec 1971 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Captain — Satish Chander Sehgal† — Indian Army, 75 Medium Regiment — 16 Dec 1971 — 1971 Battle of Basantar • Air Commodore — Jasjit Singh — Indian Air Force — 17 Dec 1971 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Havildar — Gurdev Singh Hans — Indian Army — 17 Dec 1971 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Squadron Leader — Ramesh Chander Kohli — Indian Air Force — 17 Dec 1971 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Admiral — Arun Prakash — Indian Navy — 21 Dec 1971 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Wing Commander — Sukhdev Singh Dhillon — Indian Air Force — 17 Dec 1971 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Squadron Leader — M A Ganapathy — Indian Air force — 1972 — 1971 Battle of Boyra • Lance Daffadar — Katar Singh — 72 Armoured Regiment — 1971 — 1971 Battle of Chhamb • Group Captain — Donald ‘Don’ Lazarus — Indian Air force — 1972 — 1971 Battle of Boyra • Flight Lieutenant — Lawrence Frederic Pereira — Indian Air force — 26 Jan 1972 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Naik — Naib Singh Gill — Indian Army, 6 Sikh Regiment — 26 Jan 1972 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Subedar — Ratan Singh — Indian Army, Punjab Regiment — 15 August 1972 — 1971 Battle of Longewala • Lieutenant General — J.B.S. Yadava — Indian Army, 11 Gorkha Rifles — 15 August 1972 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Lieutenant General — Francis Tiburtius Dias — Indian Army — 15 August 1972 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Flight Lieutenant — Gurdev Singh Rai — Indian Air Force — 26 January 1974 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Major — Ngangom Joy Dutta Singh — Indian Army — 26 Jan 1988 — 1987 Operation Pawan • Major-General — Dalvir Singh — Indian Army — 26 Jan 1988 — 1987 Jaffna University Helidrop • Lieutenant Commander — Deepak Agarwal — Indian Navy — 26 Jan 1988 — 1987 Operation Pawan • Sepoy — Kamkholam Kuki — Indian Army, Assam Regiment — 17 Dec 1989 — 1987 Operation Pawan • Flight Lieutenant — Abdul Naseer Hanfee — Indian Air Force, 128 Helicopter Unit — 26 January 1989 — 1984 Operation Meghdoot • Naik — Kaushal Yadav † — Indian Army, 9 PARA (SF) — 26 July 1999 — 1999 Operation Vijay • Captain — Jintu Gogoi — Indian Army, 18 Garhwal Rifles — 15 Aug 1999 — 1999 Operation Vijay • Squadron Leader — Ajay Ahuja† — Indian Air Force — 01 Jan 1999 — 1999 Operation Safed Sagar • Colonel — Magod Basappa Ravindranath — Indian Army, 2 Rajputana Rifles — 28 Jun 1999 — 1999 Battle of Tololing • Lieutenant Colonel — Ramakrishnan Vishwanathan — Indian Army, 18 Grenadiers — Jun 1999 — 1999 Battle of Tololing • L/Havildar — Ram Kumar — Indian Army, 18 Grenadiers — Jun 1999 — 1999 Battle of Tololing • Major — Mariappan Saravanan — Indian Army, 1st Bihar Regiment — 15 Aug 1999 — 1999 Operation Vijay • Colonel — Lalit Rai — Indian Army, 1/11 GR — 15 Aug 1999 — 1999 Operation Vijay • Lieutenant Colonel — Yogesh Kumar Joshi — Indian Army, 13 JAK RIF — 15 Aug 1999 — 1999 Operation Vijay • Captain — Sanjeev Singh Jamwal — Indian Army, 13 JAK RIF — 15 Aug 1999 — 1999 Operation Vijay • Gunner — Sanjeev Gopala Pillai — Indian Army, 4 Medium Regiment — 15 Aug 1999 — 1999 Operation Vijay • Captain — Vijyant Thapar — Indian Army, 2 Rajputana Rifles — 16 Dec 1999 — 1999 Operation Vijay • L/Havildar — Chuni Lal — Indian Army, 8 JAK LI — 30 Aug 2000 — 1999 Operation Vijay • Wing Commander — Abhinandan Varthaman — Indian Air Force — 15 Aug 2019 — 2019 India-Pakistan Standoff • Naib Subedar — Nuduram Soren — Indian Army, 16th Bihar Regiment — 26 Jan 2021 — 2020 Operation Snow Leopard • Naik — Deepak Singh — Indian Army, 16th Bihar Regiment — 26 Jan 2021 — 2020 Operation Snow Leopard • Sepoy — Gurtej Singh — Indian Army, 3rd Punjab Regiment — 26 Jan 2021 — 2020 Operation Snow Leopard • Havildar — Mangal Singh sisodiya — Indian Army — 4 April 1971 — 1971 Indo-Pakistan War • Colonel — Koshank Lamba — Indian Army, 302 Medium Regiment — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Lieutenant Colonel — Sushil Bisht — Indian Army, 1988 (Independent) Medium Battery — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Naib Subedar — Satish Kumar — Indian Army, 4th Dogra Regiment — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Rifleman — Sunil Kumar — Indian Army, 4th Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Group Captain — Ranjeet Singh Sidhu — Indian Air Force — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Group Captain — Manish Arora — Indian Air Force — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Group Captain — Animesh Patni — Indian Air Force — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Group Captain — Kunal Kalra — Indian Air Force — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Wing Commander — Joy Chandra — Indian Air Force — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Squadron Leader — Sarthak Kumar — Indian Air Force — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Squadron Leader — Siddhant Singh — Indian Air Force — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Squadron Leader — Rizwan Malik — Indian Air Force — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Flight Lieutenant — Aarshveer Singh Thakur — Indian Air Force — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Sub Inspector (GD) — Mohd Imteyaj† — Border Security Force — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor • Constable (GD) — Deepak Chingakham† — Border Security Force — 15 August 2025 — 2025 Operation Sindoor