Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)

The Ashoka Chakra (alternative spelling: Ashok Chakra) is India's highest peacetime military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), and is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice" other than in the face of the enemy. The decoration may be awarded either to military or civilian personnel.

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

Ashoka Chakra


Ashoka Chakra and its ribbon
Awarded by Republic of India
Country India
TypeMedal
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.
  • Members of the Nursing Services of the Armed Forces.
  • Civilian Citizens of either sex in all walks of life and members of Police Forces including Central Para-Military Forces and Railway protection Force.[1]
Awarded forAwarded 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.[1]
StatusActive
DescriptionIndia's highest peacetime military decoration
Post-nominalsAC
Statistics
Established1952
First awarded1952
Last awarded2019
Total awarded83 (As of 2020)[2][3]
Posthumous
awards		58
Precedence
Equivalent Param Vir Chakra[lower-alpha 1][5][6][7]
Next (lower) Padma Vibhushan[8]

Flt. Lt. Suhas Biswas was the first Indian Air Force officer to be awarded the Ashoka Chakra. Subsequent awards of the Ashoka Chakra are recognized by a bar to the medal ribbon. A recipient can be awarded the Kirti Chakra or Shaurya Chakra in addition for separate acts of gallantry.

History

The medal was originally established on 4 January 1952 as the "Ashoka Chakra, Class I" as the first step of a three-class sequence of non-combatant bravery decorations. In 1967, these decorations were removed from the "class-based" system and renamed as the Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya Chakra. This is an important point in understanding the independent Indian view of decorations. It would also lead to changes in the Padma Vibhushan series, the distinguished service medal series, the life saving medal series, and the Defence Security Corps medal series.

From 1 February 1999, the central government instituted a monthly stipend for Ashoka Chakra recipients of Rs. 1400. Jammu and Kashmir awarded a cash award of Rs. 1500 for recipients of this award.

Overview

Obverse: Circular gold gilt, 1-3/8 inches in diameter. In the center, the chakra (wheel) of Ashoka, surrounded by a lotus wreath and with an ornate edge. Suspended by a straight bar suspender. The medal is named on the edge.

Reverse: Blank in the center, with "Ashoka Chakra" in Hindi along the upper edge on the medal and the same name in English along the lower rim. On either side is a lotus design. The center is blank, perhaps with the intent that details of the award be engraved there. There is no indication of the class on the pre-1967 awards, and, in fact, there is no difference between these medals & the post-1967 awards.

Ribbon: 32 mm, dark green with a 2 mm central saffron stripe.

To date, 83 people have been awarded the "Ashoka Chakra".[2][9]

Ashoka Chakra recipients
Key
† Indicates posthumous honour
List of award recipients, showing the year
Year Rank Recipient Branch Refs.
2019 Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani † Indian Army[10]
2018 CorporalJyoti Prakash Nirala † Indian Airforce[11]
2017 HavildarHangpan Dada † Indian Army[12]
2016 Lance NaikMohan Goswami † Indian Army[12]
2014 MajorMukund Varadarajan † Indian Army[12]
NaikNeeraj Kumar Singh † Indian Army[12]
Sub-InspectorK. Prasad Babu † Andhra Pradesh Police[13]
2012 LieutenantNavdeep Singh † Indian Army[12]
2011 MajorLaishram Jyotin Singh † Indian Army[12]
2010 HavildarRajesh Kumar † Indian Army[12]
MajorD. Sreeram Kumar Indian Army[12]
MajorMohit Sharma † Indian Army[12]
2009 HavildarBahadur Singh Bohra † Indian Army[14]
Joint Commissioner of PoliceHemant Karkare † Indian Police Service[14]
InspectorVijay Salaskar † Maharashtra Police Service[14]
Additional Commissioner of PoliceAshok Kamte † Indian Police Service[14]
Assistant Sub- InspectorTukaram Omble † Maharashtra Police Service[14]
HavildarGajender Singh Bisht † Indian Army[14]
MajorSandeep Unnikrishnan † Indian Army[14]
InspectorMohan Chand Sharma † Delhi Police[14]
ColonelJojan Thomas † Indian Army[14]
Police OfficerR. P. Diengdoh † Meghalaya Police[14]
Assistant Commandant of PolicePramod Kumar Satapathy † Odisha Police[14]
2008 MajorDinesh Raghu Raman † Indian Army[15]
2007 CaptainRadhakrishnan Nair Harshan † Indian Army[15]
Naib SubedarChuni Lal † Indian Army[15]
ColonelVasanth Venugopal † Indian Army[15]
2004 Lieutenant Triveni Singh † Indian Army [15]
Paratrooper Sanjog Chhetri † Indian Army [15]
2003 Assistant Commander Grade I. (Subedar Major) Suresh Chand Yadav † National Security Guard [16]
2002 Subedar Surinder Singh † Indian Army [15]
Naik Rambeer Singh Tomar † Indian Army [15]
2001 Jagdish Prasad Yadav †
Matbar Singh Negi †
Constable Kamlesh Kumari † CRPF [15]
2000 Major Sudhir Kumar Walia † Indian Army [15]
1997 Second Lieutenant Puneet Nath Datt † Indian Army [15]
Lieutenant Colonel Shanti Swarup Rana † Indian Army [15]
1996 Captain Arun Singh Jasrotia † Indian Army [15]
1995 Major Rajiv Kumar Joon † Indian Army [15]
Subedar Sujjan Singh † Indian Army [15]
Lieutenant Colonel Harsh Uday Singh Gaur † Indian Army [15]
1994 Colonel Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair † Indian Army [15]
1993 Second Lieutenant Rakesh Singh † Indian Army [15]
1992 Captain Sandeep Sankhla † Indian Army [17]
1991 Police Officer Randhir Prasad Verma † Police Service [17]
1987 Flight Attendant Neerja Bhanot † Pan Am [17]
1986 Vijay Jagirdar †
1985 Lance Havildar Chhering Mutup Indian Army [17]
Naik Nirbhay Singh † Indian Army [17]
Naik Bhawani Datt Joshi † Indian Army [17]
Lieutenant Ram Prakash Roperia † Indian Army [17]
Captain Jasbir Singh Raina Indian Army [17]
Major Bhukant Misra † Indian Army [17]
Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma Indian Airforce [17]
1984 Flight Engineer Gennadi Strekalov Soviet Flight Engineer [17]
Colonel Yury Malyshev Soviet Airforce [17]
1981 Second Lieutenant Cyrus Addie Pithawalla Indian Army [17]
1974 Munni Lal †
Naib Subedar Gurnam Singh † Indian Army [17]
1972 Shri Bhure Lal Madhya Pradesh Police
Captain Ummed Singh Mahra † Indian Army [17]
1971 Shri Baij Nath Singh † Indian Civilian
1969 Captain Jas Ram Singh Indian Army [17]
1968 Takhat Singh
Lakhan Singh
Hukum Singh
Govind Singh
Dhanpat Singh
1967 Head Constable Shankar Lal Shrivastava † Madhya Pradesh Police
1965 Shri Tej Singh † Indian Civilian
Shri Lajja Ram † Indian Civilian
Shri Chaman Lal † Indian Civilian
Shri Purshottam † Indian Civilian [17]
1962 Subedar Major Kharka Bahadur Limbu † Indian Army [17]
Captain Man Bahadur Rai Indian Army [17]
1958 Captain Eric James Tucker † Indian Army [17]
1957 Lieutenant Colonel Jagannath Raoji Chitnis † Indian Army [17]
Second Lieutenant Pollur Mutthuswamy Raman † Indian Army [17]
Havildar Joginder Singh † Indian Army [17]
1956 Lance Naik Sundar Singh Indian Army [17]
1955 Pilot Damodar Kashinath Jatar † Air India
1952 Flight Lieutenant Suhas Biswas Indian Airforce [17]
Havildar Bachittar Singh † Indian Army [17]
Naik Narbahadur Thapa Indian Army [17]
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References
  1. Though the Ashoka Chakra is placed below the PVC in order of wear, it is considered as a peacetime equivalent to Param Vir Chakra (or PVC).[4]
  • Chakravorty, B.C. (1995), Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners, New Delhi: Allied Publishers, ISBN 978-81-7023-516-3
  1. http://www.indianarmy.gov.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=p6xUHC5yMgV3Tyuw9ZIb6w==&ParentID=tFRV4t12pKRhSFm2sMq5yQ==
  2. "Awardees - Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in.
  3. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/martyred-corporal-jyoti-prakash-nirala-joins-elite-iaf-club-tomorrow/articleshow/62647401.cms
  4. "Awards Warb" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  5. Chakravorty 1995, p. 40.
  6. "Precedence of Medals". Indian Army. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  7. "Precedence Of Medals". indianarmy.nic.in/. Indian Army. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  8. "Precedence Of Medals". Indian Army, Govt of India official website.
  9. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/martyred-corporal-jyoti-prakash-nirala-joins-elite-iaf-club-tomorrow/articleshow/62647401.cms
  10. "411 Republic Day Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced". pib.nic.in. Press Information Bureau, Government of India.
  11. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/martyred-corporal-jyoti-prakash-nirala-joins-elite-iaf-club-tomorrow/articleshow/62647401.cms
  12. "Ashoka Chakra recipients (2009–16)". Indian Army Web Portal. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  13. "The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee giving away the highest gallantry award Ashok Chakra to Shri K. Venkatraman father of the Reserve Inspector, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, Shri K.L.V.S.S.H.N.V. Prasad Babu, (Posthumous), during the 65th Republic Day Parade 2014, in New Delhi on January 26, 2014". Press Information Bureau, India. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  14. "Ashoka Chakra awardees and their saga of gallantry" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 25 January 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  15. "Ashoka Chakra recipients (1993–2009)". Indian Army Web Portal. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  16. "Suresh Chand Yadav". National Security Guards. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  17. "Ashoka Chakra recipients (1952–92)". Indian Army Web Portal. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
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