Ashoka Chakra (military decoration): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox military award
{{short description|India's highest peacetime military decoration}}
| name            = Ashoka Chakra<br> अशोक चक्र
{{about|the military decoration|the symbol|Ashoka Chakra}}
| image            = [[File:Ashoka-chakra.png|350px]]<br/><br/>[[Image:Ashoka Chakra ribbon.svg|150px]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
| caption          = Ashoka Chakra and its ribbon, the highest peacetime decoration of India
{{Infobox award
| awarded_by      = {{flagicon|India}} [[Republic of India]]
| name            = Ashoka Chakra
| country          = {{flagicon|India}} [[Republic of India]]
| image            = [[File:Ashoka-chakra.png|120px]]<br><br>[[Image:Ashoka Chakra ribbon.svg|150px]]
| caption          = Ashoka Chakra and its ribbon
| presenter        = [[Government of India]]
| country          = India
| type            = [[Medal]]
| type            = [[Medal]]
| eligibility      = *Officers, men and women of all ranks of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, of any of the Reserve Forces, of the Territorial Army, Militia and of any other lawfully constituted forces.
| eligibility      = {{bullet list|Officers of [[Indian Armed Forces]], [[Indian Territorial Army|territorial army]], militia and any other lawfully constituted forces|Members of nursing services of the armed forces|Civilians and members of [[Police in India|police]] including [[Central Armed Police Forces|central para-military forces]] and [[Railway Protection Force]]}}
*Members of the Nursing Services of the Armed Forces.
| awarded_for             = Most conspicuous bravery, or some act of daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice
*Civilian Citizens of either sex in all walks of life and members of Police Forces including Central Para-Military Forces and Railway protection Force.<ref name=army>http://www.indianarmy.gov.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=p6xUHC5yMgV3Tyuw9ZIb6w==&ParentID=tFRV4t12pKRhSFm2sMq5yQ==</ref>
| for             = Awarded for most conspicuous bravery, or some act of daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice otherwise than in the face of the enemy.<ref name=army/>
| campaign        =  
| campaign        =  
| status          = Currently Awarded
| status          = active
| description      =  
| description      = India's highest peacetime military decoration
| motto            =  
| motto            =  
| clasps          =  
| clasps          =  
| post-nominals    = AC
| post-nominals    = AC
| established      = 1952
| established      = {{start date and age|df=yes|1952}}
| first_award     = 1952
| firstawarded     = 1952
| last_award       = 2016
| lastawarded       = 2026
| total            = 63
| total_awarded_posthumously = 68
| posthumous      = &+
| total_recipients = 87
| recipients      =  
| precedence_label =
| precedence_label =
| individual      =  
| individual      =  
| higher          = [[Param Vir Chakra]]<ref name=precedence>{{cite web|title=Precedence Of Medals |url=http://indianarmy.nic.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=zCQHR1MODtMw0EJ0MUc5CA==&ParentID=XRRy6fl/Yj1c0bK0sve+Pg== |publisher=Indian Army |accessdate=9 September 2014}}</ref>
| higher          = [[File:Bharat Ratna Ribbon.svg|55px]] [[Bharat Ratna]]
| same            =
| same            = [[File:Param-Vir-Chakra-ribbon.svg|55px]] [[Param Vir Chakra]]{{efn|Though the Ashoka Chakra is placed below the [[Param Vir Chakra]] in the precedence, it is considered as a peacetime equivalent of Param Vir Chakra.}}
| lower            = [[Padma Vibhushan]]<ref name=precedence/>
| lower            = [[File:Padma Vibhushan Ribbon.svg|55px]] [[Padma Vibhushan]]
| related          =  
| related          =  
| image2          =
| caption2        = Rakesh singh of Granadiers.
1992 Posthoumesly.
}}
}}


The '''Ashoka Chakra Award''' is [[India]]'s highest peacetime military decoration or award for courageous action or self-sacrificing away from the [[battlefield]]. This is awarded for the most notable [[bravery]]. Ashoka Chakra was awarded either to military-men as well as civilians.
The '''Ashoka Chakra''' ({{lit|[[Ashoka Chakra|Wheel of Ashoka]]}}) is India's highest peacetime [[military decoration]]. It is the peacetime equivalent of the [[Param Vir Chakra]] and is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice". The decoration may be awarded either to military personnel or civilians by the [[Government of India]].


[[Lieutenant]] [[Suhas Biswas]] was the first person to be awarded with Ashoka Chakra award in 1952.The awarded persons were paid Rs.1400 monthly.Ashoka Chakra was established on 4 January 1952.
The circular medal consists of [[Ashoka Chakra]] surrounded by a [[Indian lotus|lotus]] wreath on the front. The obverse consists of "Ashoka Chakra" written in [[Devanagari]] along the upper edge on the medal and in [[English language|English]] along the lower rim. It is suspended by a straight bar suspender from a green ribbon with a central saffron stripe.
 
{{As of|2026}}, there have been 87 recipients of the award. Of these, 68 have been posthumous recipients, and 17 have been civilians. [[Havildar]] [[Bachittar Singh (soldier)|Bachittar Singh]] of the [[Indian Army]] was the first recipient of the award, in 1952. [[D. K. Jatar]], a pilot of [[Air India]]'s [[Kashmir Princess]] was the first civilian recipient of the award, in 1955. Only two women have ever been awarded the Ashok Chakra, [[flight attendant]] [[Neerja Bhanot]] in 1987 and [[police constable]] [[Kamlesh Kumari]] in 2001. Two non-Indians, [[cosmonaut]]s [[Gennadi Strekalov]] and [[Yuri Malyshev (cosmonaut)|Yuri Malyshev]] were given the award in 1984. [[Indian Air Force]] officer [[Shubhanshu Shukla]], decorated in 2026, is the most recent awardee.<ref>{{cite press release |date=25 January 2026 |title=77th Republic Day: President approves Gallantry awards to 70 Armed Forces personnel, including six posthumous, also clears military decorations to 301 personnel |url=https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2218540&reg=3&lang=1 |work=[[Press Information Bureau]], [[Government of India]] |access-date=25 January 2026}}</ref>
 
== Description ==
The medal was originally established on 4 January 1952 as the "Ashoka Chakra, Class I" by the [[President of India]] deemed to have been in effect from 15 August 1947.<ref name="Gallantry">{{cite web|title=Ashok Chakra|url=http://www.warb-mha.gov.in/pdf/awards.pdf|work=[[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)]]|access-date=5 September 2016|page=1|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035719/http://www.warb-mha.gov.in/pdf/awards.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It was the highest class of the three gallantry awards established at the time.<ref name="Award">{{cite web|title=Gallantry Awards|url=https://gallantryawards.gov.in/about|work=[[Government of India]]|access-date=5 September 2016|page=1|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035719/http://www.warb-mha.gov.in/pdf/awards.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In January 1967, the award was renamed as Ashok Chakra with the other two classes renamed as [[Kirti Chakra]] and [[Shaurya Chakra]] respectively.<ref name="Gallantry"/><ref name="Award"/> The awards are given out twice a year&ndash; during the [[Republic Day (India)|Republic Day]] and [[Independence Day (India)|Independence Day]].<ref name="Award"/> Though the Ashok Chakra is placed below the [[Param Vir Chakra]] in the order of precedence,<ref name="Award"/> it is considered to be the peace time equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra.<ref name="Gallantry"/> The award includes a medal, and a monthly stipend of {{INRconvert|2800}}.<ref name="Gallantry"/><ref name="IAF">{{Cite web|author=|url=https://indianairforce.nic.in/ashoka-chakra/|title=Ashoka Chakra|work=[[Indian Air Force]]|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref>
 
== Eligibility ==
The Ashok Chakra can be awarded to all enlisted officers of the [[Indian Armed Forces]] including the [[Indian Army]], [[Indian Airforce]], and [[Indian Navy]], the [[Indian Territorial Army]], reserve personnel, and any other legally constituted armed force. Nursing members of the armed forces are also eligible for the award. [[Police in India|Police personnel]] including the [[Central Armed Police Forces]], and the [[Railway Protection Force]] are also eligible for the award. The award can also be given to any civilian at the discretion of the [[Government of India]].<ref name="Gallantry"/><ref name="IAF"/> It is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice" during times other than war.<ref name="Gallantry"/><ref name="IAF"/>
 
== Design ==
The medal is circular with a diameter of {{cvt|1.375|in}}. It has prominent rims and is made of [[gold]] [[gilding]]. On the front side, it has a replica of the [[Ashok Chakra]] surrounded by a wreath of [[sacred lotus]]. In the reverse, the words "Ashok Chakra" are embossed in [[Devanagri]] on the top and [[English language|English]] towards the bottom edge. These are separated by a lotus flowers on either side. The medal is suspended by a straight bar suspender from a green ribbon with a central saffron stripe. If a recipient receives subsequent such awards, more bars are added to the ribbon by which the medal is suspended.<ref name="IAF"/>
 
== Recipients ==
{{As of|2026}}, the medal has been awarded to 87 awardees, of which 68 were to posthumous recipients.<ref name="List">{{cite web|url=https://gallantryawards.gov.in/awards|title=Awardees|work=[[Government of India]]|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> [[Havildar]] [[Bachittar Singh (soldier)|Bachittar Singh]] of the [[Indian Army]] was the first recipient of the award for his part in the [[Operation Polo]] in 1948.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/bachittar-singh-first-ashoka-chakra-awardee-8938420/|title=Bachittar Singh: the soldier who won India’s first Ashoka Chakra for action on Sept 13, 1948|work=[[The Indian Express]]|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> [[Flight lieutenant]] [[Suhas Biswas]] was the first member of the [[Indian Air Force]] to be commemorated with the award in 1953.<ref name="BR">{{cite web|url=https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/iaf/awards/peace/ashoka-chakra/|title=Ashok Chakra|work=[[Bharat Rakshak]]|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> [[Flight captain]] [[D. K. Jatar]], who was the pilot of the bombed [[Air India]] [[Kashmir Princess|flight 300]], was the first civilian recipient of the award in 1955.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/1955-air-india-international-flight-crash-failed-assassination-attempt-on-chinese-premier-revealed-by-declassified-diplomatic-records-airindia-kashmirprincess-1955crash-101681495959341.html|title=Air India plane crashes in botched assassination bid|newspaper=[[The Hindustan Times]]|date=1 June 2024}}</ref> Only two women have ever been awarded the Ashok Chakra, flight attendant [[Neerja Bhanot]] in 1987 and police constable [[Kamlesh Kumari]] in 2001 for their actions during the hijack of [[Pan Am Flight 73]] and [[2001 Indian Parliament attack]] respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/top-stories/inspiration/the-women-awardees-of-ashok-chakra-in-india-republic-day-2022/|title=Women Awardees Of Ashok Chakra In India|work=She the people|date=26 January 2022|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref>
 
Two non-Indians, [[cosmonauts]] [[Gennadi Strekalov]] and [[Yury Malyshev (cosmonaut)|Yuri Malyshev]] were given the award in 1984 for their [[Soyuz T-11]] mission which also carried [[Rakesh Sharma]], the first Indian to space.<ref name="BR"/> [[Paratrooper]] [[Sanjog Chhetri]] was the youngest awardee at 20 years of age, when he was killed in the counter terrorism operations in [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gallantryawards.gov.in/awardee/1098|title=Sanjog Chhetri|work=[[Government of India]]|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://en.mynewsne.com/sikkim-youth-achieves-top-rank-in-national-defence-academy-examination/|title=Sikkim Youth Achieves Top Rank in National Defence Academy Examination|date=13 April 2025|access-date=15 April 2025|work=North East News}}</ref> [[Colonel]] [[Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair]] was the only recipient of both the Ashok Chakra and [[Kirti Chakra]], the two highest peacetime honours.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gallantryawards.gov.in/awardee/1088|title=Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair|work=[[Government of India]]|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref>
 
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Key
|-
| align=center style="background-color:lightblue" |†
| Indicates posthumous honour
|-
| align=center style="background-color:pink" | ^
| Indicates non-Indian recipient
|}
 
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;" style="font-size: 90%"
|+ Ashok Chakra recipients<ref name="List"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Ashoka Chakra Recipients|author=Rashmi Aggarwal|year=2021|publisher=[[Prabhat Prakashan]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8LjjDAAAQBAJ|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref>
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Recipient
! Rank{{efn|name=Rank|Refers to the rank held by the recipient at the time of award. }}
! Entity
! Action{{efn|name=Action|Refers to the conflict or event for which the Ashoka Chakra was awarded.}}
|-
| 1952
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Bachittar Singh (soldier)|Bachittar Singh]]†
| [[Havildar]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Operation Polo]]
|-
| 1952
| [[Narbahadur Thapa]]
| [[Naik (military rank)|Naik]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Operation Polo]]
|-
| 1953
| [[Suhas Biswas]]
| [[Flight Lieutenant]]
| [[Indian Air Force]]
| Stricken flight landing
|-
| 1955
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[D. K. Jatar]]†
| [[Flight Captain]]
| [[Air India]]
| [[Kashmir Princess|Kashmir Princess bombing]]
|-
| 1956
| [[Sundar Singh (soldier)|Sundar Singh]]
| [[Lance Naik]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir conflict]]
|-
| 1957
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Jagannath Raoji Chitnis]]†
| [[Lieutenant Colonel]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Ethnic conflict in Nagaland|Nagaland insurgency]]
|-
| 1957
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Joginder Singh (soldier)|Joginder Singh]]†
| [[Havildar]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Ethnic conflict in Nagaland|Nagaland insurgency]]
|-
| 1957
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Pollur Mutthuswamy Raman]]†
| [[Second Lieutenant]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Ethnic conflict in Nagaland|Nagaland insurgency]]
|-
| 1958
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Eric James Tucker]]†
| [[Captain]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Ethnic conflict in Nagaland|Nagaland insurgency]]
|-
| 1962
| style="background-color:lightblue" |Khadka Bahadur Limbu†
| [[Subedar Major]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Ethnic conflict in Nagaland|Nagaland insurgency]]
|-
| 1962
| [[Man Bahadur Rai]]
| [[Captain]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Ethnic conflict in Nagaland|Nagaland insurgency]]
|-
| 1965
| style="background-color:lightblue" |Chaman Lal†
|
| [[Firefighter]]
| Train fire
|-
| 1965
| style="background-color:lightblue" |Lajja Ram†
|
| [[Civilian]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1965
| style="background-color:lightblue" |Purshottam†
|
| [[Civilian]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1965
| style="background-color:lightblue" |Tej Singh†
|
| [[Civilian]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1967
| style="background-color:lightblue" |Shankar Lal Shrivastava†
| [[Head Constable]]
| [[Madhya Pradesh Police]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1968
| style="background-color:lightblue" |Takhat Singh†
|
| [[Civilian]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1968
| Dhanpat Singh
|
| [[Civilian]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1968
| Govind Singh
|
| [[Civilian]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1968
| Hukum Singh
|
| [[Civilian]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1968
| Lakhan Singh
|
| [[Civilian]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1969
| [[Jas Ram Singh]]
| [[Captain]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Mizo insurgency]]
|-
| 1971
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Baij Nath Singh]]†
|
| [[Civilian]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1972
| [[Bhure Lal]]
| [[Constable]]
| [[Madhya Pradesh Police]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1972
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Ummed Singh Mahra]]†
| [[Captain]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Ethnic conflict in Nagaland|Nagaland insurgency]]
|-
| 1974
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Gurnam Singh (soldier)|Gurnam Singh]]†
| [[Naib Subedar]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Mine explosion]]
|-
| 1974
| Munni Lal
|
| [[Civilian]]
| Dacoit attack
|-
| 1981
| [[Cyrus Addie Pithawalla]]
| [[Second Lieutenant]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Manipur insurgency]]
|-
| 1984
|style="background-color:pink" | [[Gennadi Strekalov]]^
| [[Flight Engineer]]
| [[Roscosmos]]
| [[Soyuz T-11]]
|-
| 1984
| style="background-color:pink" |[[Yury Malyshev (cosmonaut)|Yury Malyshev]]^
| [[Colonel]]
| [[Soviet Air Forces]]
| [[Soyuz T-11]]
|-
| 1985
| style="background-color:lightblue" |Bhawani Datt Joshi†
| [[Naik (military rank)|Naik]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Operation Blue Star]]
|-
| 1985
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Bhukant Mishra]]†
| [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Operation Blue Star]]
|-
| 1985
| [[Chhering Mutup]]
| [[Havildar|Lance Havildar]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Siachen conflict]]
|-
| 1985
| [[Jasbir Singh Raina]]
| [[Captain]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Operation Blue Star]]
|-
| 1985
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Nirbhay Singh Sisodiya]]†
| [[Naik (military rank)|Naik]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Operation Blue Star]]
|-
| 1985
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Ram Prakash Roperia]]†
| [[Lieutenant]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Operation Blue Star]]
|-
| 1985
| [[Rakesh Sharma]]
| [[Wing Commander]]
| [[Indian Air Force]]
| [[Soyuz T-11]]
|-
| 1986
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Vijay Jagirdar]]†
|
| [[Civilian]]
| [[1984 anti-Sikh riots]]
|-
| 1987
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Neerja Bhanot]]†
|
| [[Pan Am]]
| [[Pan Am Flight 73]] hijack
|-
| 1991
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Randhir Prasad Verma]]†
| [[Superintendent of Police]]
| [[Bihar Police]]
| [[Bank robbery]]
|-
| 1992
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Sandeep Sankhla]]†
| [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 1993
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Rakesh Singh Malhan]]†
| [[Second Lieutenant]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 1994
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair]]†
| [[Colonel]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 1995
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Harsh Uday Singh Gaur]]†
| [[Lieutenant Colonel]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 1995
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Rajiv Kumar Joon]]†
| [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 1995
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Sujjan Singh Yadav]]†
| [[Subedar]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 1996
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Arun Singh Jasrotia]]†
| [[Captain]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 1997
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Puneet Nath Datt]]†
| [[Second Lieutenant]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 1997
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Shanti Swaroop Rana]]†
| [[Lieutenant Colonel]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2000
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Sudhir Kumar Walia]]†
| [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2001
| style="background-color:lightblue" |Jagdish Prasad Yadav†
|
| [[Rajya Sabha]] secretariat
| [[2001 Indian Parliament attack]]
|-
| 2001
| style="background-color:lightblue" |Matbar Singh Negi†
|
| [[Rajya Sabha]] secretariat
| [[2001 Indian Parliament attack]]
|-
| 2001
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Kamlesh Kumari Yadav]]†
| [[Constable]]
| [[Central Reserve Police Force]]
| [[2001 Indian Parliament attack]]
|-
| 2002
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Surinder Singh (soldier)|Surinder Singh]]†
| [[Subedar]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2002
|style="background-color:lightblue" | [[Rambeer Singh Tomar]]†
| [[Naik (military rank)|Naik]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2003
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Suresh Chand Yadav]]†
| [[Subedar Major]]
| [[National Security Guard]]
| [[Akshardham Temple attack]]
|-
| 2004
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Sanjog Chhetri]]†
| [[Paratrooper]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2004
|style="background-color:lightblue" | [[Triveni Singh]]†
| [[Lieutenant]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2007
|style="background-color:lightblue" | [[Chuni Lal]]†
| [[Naib Subedar]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2007
|style="background-color:lightblue" | [[Radhakrishnan Nair Harshan]]†
| [[Captain]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2007
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Vasanth Venugopal]]†
| [[Colonel]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2008
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Dinesh Raghu Raman]]†
| [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2009
|style="background-color:lightblue" | [[Ashok Kamte]]†
| [[Additional Commissioner of Police|Additional Commissioner]]
| [[Maharashtra Police]]
| [[2008 Mumbai attacks]]
|-
| 2009
|style="background-color:lightblue" | [[Bahadur Singh Bohra]]†
| [[Havildar]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2009
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Gajender Singh Bisht]]†
| [[Havildar]]
| [[National Security Guard]]
| [[2008 Mumbai attacks]]
|-
| 2009
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Hemant Karkare]]†
| [[Joint Commissioner of Police|Joint Commissioner]]
| [[Maharashtra Police]]
| [[2008 Mumbai attacks]]
|-
| 2009
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Jojan Thomas]]†
| [[Colonel]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2009
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Mohan Chand Sharma]]†
| [[Inspector of Police|Inspector]]
| [[Delhi Police]]
| [[Batla House encounter]]
|-
| 2009
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Pramod Kumar Satapathy]]†
| [[Deputy Superintendent of Police|Assistant Commandant of Police]]
| [[Odisha Police]]
| [[Naxalite–Maoist insurgency]]
|-
| 2009
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[R. P. Diengdoh]]†
| [[Deputy Superintendent of Police|Deputy Superintendent]]
| [[Meghalaya Police]]
| [[Insurgency in Meghalaya|Meghalaya Insurgency]]
|-
| 2009
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Sandeep Unnikrishnan]]†
| [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| [[National Security Guard]]
| [[2008 Mumbai attacks]]
|-
| 2009
|style="background-color:lightblue" | [[Tukaram Omble]]†
| [[Assistant sub-inspector of police|Assistant Sub-Inspector]]
| [[Maharashtra Police]]
| [[2008 Mumbai attacks]]
|-
| 2009
|style="background-color:lightblue" | [[Vijay Salaskar]]†
| [[Inspector of Police|Inspector]]
| [[Maharashtra Police]]
| [[2008 Mumbai attacks]]
|-
| 2010
| [[D. Sreeram Kumar]]
| [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Manipur insurgency]]
|-
| 2010
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Mohit Sharma (soldier)|Mohit Sharma]]†
| [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2010
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Rajesh Kumar (soldier)|Rajesh Kumar]]†
| [[Havildar]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2011
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Laishram Jyotin Singh]]†
| [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[February 2010 Kabul attack]]
|-
| 2012
|style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Navdeep Singh (Ashok Chakra)|Navdeep Singh]]†
| [[Lieutenant]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2014
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Mukund Varadarajan]]†
| [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2014
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Neeraj Kumar Singh]]†
| [[Naik (military rank)|Naik]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2014
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[K. Prasad Babu]]†
| [[Sub-Inspector]]
| [[Andhra Pradesh Police]]
| [[Naxalite–Maoist insurgency]]
|-
| 2016
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Mohan Nath Goswami]]†
| [[Lance Naik]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2017
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Hangpan Dada]]†
| [[Havildar]]
| [[Indian Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2018
| style="background-color:lightblue" |[[Jyoti Prakash Nirala]]†
| [[Corporal]]
| [[Indian Air Force]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2019
|style="background-color:lightblue" | [[Nazir Ahmad Wani]]†
| [[Lance Naik]]
| [[Territorial Army (India)|Territorial Army]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2021
|style="background-color:lightblue" | [[Babu Ram]]†
| [[Assistant sub-inspector of police|Assistant Sub-Inspector]]
| [[Jammu and Kashmir Police]]
| [[Kashmir insurgency]]
|-
| 2026
| [[Shubhanshu Shukla]]
| [[Group captain (India)|Group Captain]]
| [[Indian Air Force]]
| [[Axiom Mission 4]]
|}
 
=== Summary ===
 
{|class="plainrowheaders"
|+
! scope="col" style="vertical-align:top" |
{{Bar graph
| title = Award recipients by year
| float      = right
| bar_width  = 22
| width_units = em
| data_max    = 30
| label_type  = Year
| data_type  = Number of recipients
| label1      = 1952–1959
| data1      = 09
| label2      = 1960–1969
| data2      = 13
| label3      = 1970–1979
| data3      = 05
| label4      = 1980–1989
| data4      = 12
| label5      = 1990–1999
| data5      = 10
| label6      = 2000–2009
| data6      = 24
| label7      = 2010–2019
| data7      = 12
| label8      = 2020–2029
| data8      = 02
}}
! scope="col" style="vertical-align:top"|
{{Bar graph
| title      = Award recipients by service
| float      = right
| bar_width  = 22
| width_units = em
| data_max    = 55
| label_type  = Field
| data_type  = Number of recipients
| label1      = Indian Army
| data1      = 52
| label2      = Indian Air Force
| data2      = 04
| label4      = Civilians
| data4      = 17
| label5      = Police
| data5      = 12
| label6      = Non-Indians
| data6      = 02
}}
|}
 
==See also==
* [[List of highest military decorations by country]]
 
==Notes==
{{notelist}}


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==Further reading==
*{{cite book|first1=B.C. |last1=Chakravorty|title=Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners|year=1995|publisher=Allied Publishers|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-8-17023-516-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzizVBSb4YsC}}


[[Category:Indian awards]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Awards/Peace/305-AC.html Ashoka Chakra awardees of the Indian Air Force]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220035320/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/awards/peace/305-ac.html |date=20 December 2019 }}


{{Awards and decorations of the Indian Armed Forces}}
{{Ashoka Chakra award recipients}}
{{Highest gallantry awards}}


{{simple-Wikipedia}}
[[Category:Civil awards and decorations of India]]
[[Category:Military awards and decorations of India]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|*]]
[[Category:Memorials to Ashoka]]
[[Category:Ashoka Chakra]]
[[Category:Courage awards]]

Latest revision as of 04:44, 14 March 2026

This article is about the military decoration. For the symbol, see Ashoka Chakra.
Ashoka Chakra


Ashoka Chakra and its ribbon
TypeMedal
Awarded forIndia's highest peacetime military decoration
CountryIndia
Presented byGovernment of India
Eligibility
Post-nominalsAC
Statusactive
Established1952; 74 years ago (1952)
First awarded1952
Last awarded2026
Total awarded posthumously68
Total recipients87
Precedence
Next (higher) Bharat Ratna
Equivalent Param Vir Chakra[lower-alpha 1]
Next (lower) Padma Vibhushan

The Ashoka Chakra (lit. 'Wheel of Ashoka') is India's highest peacetime military decoration. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra and is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice". The decoration may be awarded either to military personnel or civilians by the Government of India.

The circular medal consists of Ashoka Chakra surrounded by a lotus wreath on the front. The obverse consists of "Ashoka Chakra" written in Devanagari along the upper edge on the medal and in English along the lower rim. It is suspended by a straight bar suspender from a green ribbon with a central saffron stripe.

As of 2026, there have been 87 recipients of the award. Of these, 68 have been posthumous recipients, and 17 have been civilians. Havildar Bachittar Singh of the Indian Army was the first recipient of the award, in 1952. D. K. Jatar, a pilot of Air India's Kashmir Princess was the first civilian recipient of the award, in 1955. Only two women have ever been awarded the Ashok Chakra, flight attendant Neerja Bhanot in 1987 and police constable Kamlesh Kumari in 2001. Two non-Indians, cosmonauts Gennadi Strekalov and Yuri Malyshev were given the award in 1984. Indian Air Force officer Shubhanshu Shukla, decorated in 2026, is the most recent awardee.[1]

Description[edit | edit source]

The medal was originally established on 4 January 1952 as the "Ashoka Chakra, Class I" by the President of India deemed to have been in effect from 15 August 1947.[2] It was the highest class of the three gallantry awards established at the time.[3] In January 1967, the award was renamed as Ashok Chakra with the other two classes renamed as Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra respectively.[2][3] The awards are given out twice a year– during the Republic Day and Independence Day.[3] Though the Ashok Chakra is placed below the Param Vir Chakra in the order of precedence,[3] it is considered to be the peace time equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra.[2] The award includes a medal, and a monthly stipend of ₹2,800 (US$39).[2][4]

Eligibility[edit | edit source]

The Ashok Chakra can be awarded to all enlisted officers of the Indian Armed Forces including the Indian Army, Indian Airforce, and Indian Navy, the Indian Territorial Army, reserve personnel, and any other legally constituted armed force. Nursing members of the armed forces are also eligible for the award. Police personnel including the Central Armed Police Forces, and the Railway Protection Force are also eligible for the award. The award can also be given to any civilian at the discretion of the Government of India.[2][4] It is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice" during times other than war.[2][4]

Design[edit | edit source]

The medal is circular with a diameter of 1.375 in (34.9 mm). It has prominent rims and is made of gold gilding. On the front side, it has a replica of the Ashok Chakra surrounded by a wreath of sacred lotus. In the reverse, the words "Ashok Chakra" are embossed in Devanagri on the top and English towards the bottom edge. These are separated by a lotus flowers on either side. The medal is suspended by a straight bar suspender from a green ribbon with a central saffron stripe. If a recipient receives subsequent such awards, more bars are added to the ribbon by which the medal is suspended.[4]

Recipients[edit | edit source]

As of 2026, the medal has been awarded to 87 awardees, of which 68 were to posthumous recipients.[5] Havildar Bachittar Singh of the Indian Army was the first recipient of the award for his part in the Operation Polo in 1948.[6] Flight lieutenant Suhas Biswas was the first member of the Indian Air Force to be commemorated with the award in 1953.[7] Flight captain D. K. Jatar, who was the pilot of the bombed Air India flight 300, was the first civilian recipient of the award in 1955.[8] Only two women have ever been awarded the Ashok Chakra, flight attendant Neerja Bhanot in 1987 and police constable Kamlesh Kumari in 2001 for their actions during the hijack of Pan Am Flight 73 and 2001 Indian Parliament attack respectively.[9]

Two non-Indians, cosmonauts Gennadi Strekalov and Yuri Malyshev were given the award in 1984 for their Soyuz T-11 mission which also carried Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to space.[7] Paratrooper Sanjog Chhetri was the youngest awardee at 20 years of age, when he was killed in the counter terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir.[10][11] Colonel Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair was the only recipient of both the Ashok Chakra and Kirti Chakra, the two highest peacetime honours.[12]

Key
† Indicates posthumous honour
^ Indicates non-Indian recipient
Ashok Chakra recipients[5][13]
Year Recipient Rank[lower-alpha 2] Entity Action[lower-alpha 3]
1952 Bachittar Singh† Havildar Indian Army Operation Polo
1952 Narbahadur Thapa Naik Indian Army Operation Polo
1953 Suhas Biswas Flight Lieutenant Indian Air Force Stricken flight landing
1955 D. K. Jatar† Flight Captain Air India Kashmir Princess bombing
1956 Sundar Singh Lance Naik Indian Army Kashmir conflict
1957 Jagannath Raoji Chitnis† Lieutenant Colonel Indian Army Nagaland insurgency
1957 Joginder Singh† Havildar Indian Army Nagaland insurgency
1957 Pollur Mutthuswamy Raman† Second Lieutenant Indian Army Nagaland insurgency
1958 Eric James Tucker† Captain Indian Army Nagaland insurgency
1962 Khadka Bahadur Limbu† Subedar Major Indian Army Nagaland insurgency
1962 Man Bahadur Rai Captain Indian Army Nagaland insurgency
1965 Chaman Lal† Firefighter Train fire
1965 Lajja Ram† Civilian Dacoit attack
1965 Purshottam† Civilian Dacoit attack
1965 Tej Singh† Civilian Dacoit attack
1967 Shankar Lal Shrivastava† Head Constable Madhya Pradesh Police Dacoit attack
1968 Takhat Singh† Civilian Dacoit attack
1968 Dhanpat Singh Civilian Dacoit attack
1968 Govind Singh Civilian Dacoit attack
1968 Hukum Singh Civilian Dacoit attack
1968 Lakhan Singh Civilian Dacoit attack
1969 Jas Ram Singh Captain Indian Army Mizo insurgency
1971 Baij Nath Singh† Civilian Dacoit attack
1972 Bhure Lal Constable Madhya Pradesh Police Dacoit attack
1972 Ummed Singh Mahra† Captain Indian Army Nagaland insurgency
1974 Gurnam Singh† Naib Subedar Indian Army Mine explosion
1974 Munni Lal Civilian Dacoit attack
1981 Cyrus Addie Pithawalla Second Lieutenant Indian Army Manipur insurgency
1984 Gennadi Strekalov^ Flight Engineer Roscosmos Soyuz T-11
1984 Yury Malyshev^ Colonel Soviet Air Forces Soyuz T-11
1985 Bhawani Datt Joshi† Naik Indian Army Operation Blue Star
1985 Bhukant Mishra† Major Indian Army Operation Blue Star
1985 Chhering Mutup Lance Havildar Indian Army Siachen conflict
1985 Jasbir Singh Raina Captain Indian Army Operation Blue Star
1985 Nirbhay Singh Sisodiya† Naik Indian Army Operation Blue Star
1985 Ram Prakash Roperia† Lieutenant Indian Army Operation Blue Star
1985 Rakesh Sharma Wing Commander Indian Air Force Soyuz T-11
1986 Vijay Jagirdar† Civilian 1984 anti-Sikh riots
1987 Neerja Bhanot† Pan Am Pan Am Flight 73 hijack
1991 Randhir Prasad Verma† Superintendent of Police Bihar Police Bank robbery
1992 Sandeep Sankhla† Major Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
1993 Rakesh Singh Malhan† Second Lieutenant Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
1994 Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair† Colonel Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
1995 Harsh Uday Singh Gaur† Lieutenant Colonel Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
1995 Rajiv Kumar Joon† Major Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
1995 Sujjan Singh Yadav† Subedar Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
1996 Arun Singh Jasrotia† Captain Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
1997 Puneet Nath Datt† Second Lieutenant Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
1997 Shanti Swaroop Rana† Lieutenant Colonel Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2000 Sudhir Kumar Walia† Major Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2001 Jagdish Prasad Yadav† Rajya Sabha secretariat 2001 Indian Parliament attack
2001 Matbar Singh Negi† Rajya Sabha secretariat 2001 Indian Parliament attack
2001 Kamlesh Kumari Yadav† Constable Central Reserve Police Force 2001 Indian Parliament attack
2002 Surinder Singh† Subedar Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2002 Rambeer Singh Tomar† Naik Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2003 Suresh Chand Yadav† Subedar Major National Security Guard Akshardham Temple attack
2004 Sanjog Chhetri† Paratrooper Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2004 Triveni Singh† Lieutenant Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2007 Chuni Lal† Naib Subedar Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2007 Radhakrishnan Nair Harshan† Captain Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2007 Vasanth Venugopal† Colonel Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2008 Dinesh Raghu Raman† Major Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2009 Ashok Kamte† Additional Commissioner Maharashtra Police 2008 Mumbai attacks
2009 Bahadur Singh Bohra† Havildar Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2009 Gajender Singh Bisht† Havildar National Security Guard 2008 Mumbai attacks
2009 Hemant Karkare† Joint Commissioner Maharashtra Police 2008 Mumbai attacks
2009 Jojan Thomas† Colonel Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2009 Mohan Chand Sharma† Inspector Delhi Police Batla House encounter
2009 Pramod Kumar Satapathy† Assistant Commandant of Police Odisha Police Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
2009 R. P. Diengdoh† Deputy Superintendent Meghalaya Police Meghalaya Insurgency
2009 Sandeep Unnikrishnan† Major National Security Guard 2008 Mumbai attacks
2009 Tukaram Omble† Assistant Sub-Inspector Maharashtra Police 2008 Mumbai attacks
2009 Vijay Salaskar† Inspector Maharashtra Police 2008 Mumbai attacks
2010 D. Sreeram Kumar Major Indian Army Manipur insurgency
2010 Mohit Sharma† Major Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2010 Rajesh Kumar† Havildar Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2011 Laishram Jyotin Singh† Major Indian Army February 2010 Kabul attack
2012 Navdeep Singh† Lieutenant Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2014 Mukund Varadarajan† Major Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2014 Neeraj Kumar Singh† Naik Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2014 K. Prasad Babu† Sub-Inspector Andhra Pradesh Police Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
2016 Mohan Nath Goswami† Lance Naik Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2017 Hangpan Dada† Havildar Indian Army Kashmir insurgency
2018 Jyoti Prakash Nirala† Corporal Indian Air Force Kashmir insurgency
2019 Nazir Ahmad Wani† Lance Naik Territorial Army Kashmir insurgency
2021 Babu Ram† Assistant Sub-Inspector Jammu and Kashmir Police Kashmir insurgency
2026 Shubhanshu Shukla Group Captain Indian Air Force Axiom Mission 4

Summary[edit | edit source]

Template:Bar graph

Template:Bar graph

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Though the Ashoka Chakra is placed below the Param Vir Chakra in the precedence, it is considered as a peacetime equivalent of Param Vir Chakra.
  2. ↑ Refers to the rank held by the recipient at the time of award.
  3. ↑ Refers to the conflict or event for which the Ashoka Chakra was awarded.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "77th Republic Day: President approves Gallantry awards to 70 Armed Forces personnel, including six posthumous, also clears military decorations to 301 personnel". Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Press release). 25 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Ashok Chakra" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Gallantry Awards" (PDF). Government of India. p. 1. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Ashoka Chakra". Indian Air Force. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Awardees". Government of India. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "Bachittar Singh: the soldier who won India's first Ashoka Chakra for action on Sept 13, 1948". The Indian Express. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Ashok Chakra". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  8. ↑ "Air India plane crashes in botched assassination bid". The Hindustan Times. 1 June 2024.
  9. ↑ "Women Awardees Of Ashok Chakra In India". She the people. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  10. ↑ "Sanjog Chhetri". Government of India. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  11. ↑ "Sikkim Youth Achieves Top Rank in National Defence Academy Examination". North East News. 13 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  12. ↑ "Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair". Government of India. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  13. ↑ Rashmi Aggarwal (2021). Ashoka Chakra Recipients. Prabhat Prakashan. Retrieved 1 June 2024.

Further reading[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

Template:Highest gallantry awards

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