President Murmu Confers Kirti Chakras at Defence Ceremony

President Droupadi Murmu conferred seven Kirti Chakras, 15 Vir Chakras and 29 Shaurya Chakras during Phase-I of the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on 8 June 2026. Indian Air Force Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, a Gaganyaan astronaut-designate, was among the Kirti Chakra recipients.

Kirti Chakra and Peacetime Gallantry Awards

The Kirti Chakra is India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award. It is awarded for courage, devotion to duty and distinguished service, and it is placed below the Ashoka Chakra in the peacetime gallantry order. The Vir Chakra is a wartime gallantry award, and the Shaurya Chakra is a peacetime gallantry award. These awards are conferred on personnel from the Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State or Union Territory Police.

Recipients and Service Background

Of the seven Kirti Chakras conferred on 8 June 2026, two were awarded posthumously to Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar and Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari. Other Kirti Chakra recipients included Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundaram A, Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba, Major Arshdeep Singh and Captain Lalrinawma Sailo. Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair served as a backup astronaut for the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station in June 2025. He is one of the astronaut-designates selected for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.

Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026

The gallantry awards for 2026 were announced in January 2026 ahead of the 77th Republic Day celebrations. The Defence Investiture Ceremony is held at Rashtrapati Bhawan and is used for the presentation of military honours and gallantry awards.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Kirti Chakra was instituted in 1952 as a peacetime gallantry award.
• The Ashoka Chakra is India’s highest peacetime gallantry award.
• The Vir Chakra is one of India’s wartime gallantry awards.
• The Gaganyaan mission is India’s first human spaceflight programme.

The Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 was held in phases at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. Gallantry awards in India are announced on Republic Day and Independence Day.