The central government has recently issued a gazette, which includes the citations of gallantry awards offered to Indian Armed Forces personnel. This includes honouring the heroes who made Operation Sindoor a grand success.
The notification was published this week, which displays the in-depth account of bravery that was shown by the tri-services military operation operated in May 2025.
Operation Sindoor was a bull’s-eye counter-terrorism operation launched on May 7, 2025. This campaign was conducted in retaliation for the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, which took the lives of 26 civilians. This operation was in motion till May 10, 2025, which involved precision strikes carried out by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force against nine terrorist outlets, spreading across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and in Pakistan.
Gazette reveals the bravery
The gazette shows a glimpse of the surgical execution of the operation. Major personnel from the Indian Army and Indian Air Force would be awarded the Vir Chakra, which is India’s third-largest wartime gallantry medal.
In an event in Jaisalmer on Thursday, October 23, Honourable Defence Minister Rajnath Singh remarked about Operation Sindoor, stating that, “Pakistan will now think twice before attempting any misadventure against India, the operation demonstrated India's new resolve to hold sponsors of terror accountable.”
Awardees of the Indian Army (Vir Chakra)
Colonel Koshank Lamba (302 medium regiment): Col. Lamba has been listed for his accurate leadership in carrying out the first-ever air mobilisation of a specialised M777 ultralight howitzer battery. The citation speaks about his roles in ensuring the timely inter-command induction without making a single noise.
Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht (1988 independent medium battery): Lt. Col. Bisht was the commanding officer of his unit, who was responsible for the destruction of terrorist camps across the Line of Control (LOC), and he is praised and applauded for portraying exceptional courage and operational brilliance.
Awardees of Indian Air Force (Vir Chakra)
The Indian Air Force used the advanced Rafale and Su-30MKI fighter jets to conduct the operation.
Group Captain Ranjeet Singh Sidhu
Gp. Capt. Sidhu was the commanding officer of a frontline Rafale squadron. He conducted multiple deep-strike missions into heavily guarded airspace. He will be awarded for his exceptional act of courage and outstanding tactical acumen in destroying enemy targets with precision.
Group Captain Animesh Patni
Gp. Capt. Patni was commanding a strategic Surface-to-Air missile (SAM) squadron. His unit strikes down incoming attacks, protecting strike formations and disarrayed enemy retaliations, leading to major losses on the adversary.
Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik
Mentioned for extraordinary bravery, Sqn. Ldr. Malik flew as a deputy mission leader in a midnight strike mission against heavily protected targets. He executed aggressive low-level profiles to erase dense air defence networks.
Squadron Leader Siddhant Singh
Siddhant Singh is honoured for carrying out his role of leading a formation on a stand-off precision strike, which requires immense skill to engage enemy targets by avoiding integrated air defence systems.
