President Droupadi Murmu arrives in Dehradun on two-day Uttarakhand visit
Dehradun, June 12
President Droupadi Murmu arrived at the Jolly Grant Airport on Friday for a two-day visit to Uttarakhand. She was received by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami upon her arrival in the capital.
Following her arrival, the President departed for the city under tight security arrangements. During her visit, President Murmu will attend the Passing Out Parade (PoP) at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in the state capital on Saturday.
Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred 51 gallantry awards, including seven Kirti Chakras, 15 Vir Chakras and 29 Shaurya Chakras, on personnel of the Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State and Union Territory Police during Phase I of the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the awards included two Kirti Chakras (posthumous), three Vir Chakras (posthumous) and one Shaurya Chakra (posthumous). The honours were bestowed on personnel for displaying exceptional courage, outstanding bravery and devotion to duty while carrying out operations in challenging circumstances.
Among the Kirti Chakra awardees were Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundaram A of the Regiment of Artillery attached to 34 Rashtriya Rifles, Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba of 2 PARA (Special Forces), Major Arshdeep Singh of 1 Assam Rifles, Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair of the Indian Air Force, and Captain Lalrinawma Sailo of 4 PARA (Special Forces), according to a release.
The Vir Chakra recipients included Colonel Koshank Lamba of the Army; several Indian Air Force pilots, including Group Captains Ranjeet Singh Sidhu, Manish Arora, Animesh Patni and Kunal Kalra; as well as other Army and Air Force personnel recognised for their gallantry during operations.
The President also conferred posthumous awards on personnel who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. Among them were Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar of the Mahar Regiment and Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari of the Army Service Corps, who were awarded the Kirti Chakra (Posthumous).
Rifleman Sunil Kumar of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and two personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces received the Vir Chakra (Posthumous), while Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand of 4 Rashtriya Rifles was awarded the Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous), the release added.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good to see the President honoring our bravehearts. The names like Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundaram and Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba remind us that heroes come from every corner of India. But I wish more attention was given to the posthumous awards - those families need support too.
Nice to see the President engaging with the military community. The IMA PoP is always a spectacle. However, I hope the state government also focuses on infrastructure and tourism during such visits - Dehradun roads could use some attention.
Respect to all the awardees, especially those who gave their lives. Major Arshdeep Singh and Captain Lalrinawma Sailo from Assam Rifles and PARA SF - real legends! 🙏 But I'd like to know more about the operations where they showed such bravery.
The President's schedule seems packed - from gallantry awards to IMA events. Good to see women leading from the front. But I wonder if there were any interactions with locals or students planned? That would make the visit more meaningful for Uttarakhand.
Great to see the IMA passing out parade getting presidential recognition. The bravery awards list is impressive - 51 awards including Kirti Chakras and Vir Chakras. Our armed forces are truly world-class. Hope the President also addressed the issue of soldiers' welfare during her speech.
R We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.