Vir Chakra

Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield. It replaced the British Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), Military Cross (MC) and Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Award of the decoration carries with it the right to use Vr.C. as a postnominal abbreviation (note the care to distinguish this abbreviation from that for the Victoria Cross (V.C.). It is third in precedence in the war time gallantry awards and comes after the Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra.[3]

Vir Chakra


Vir Chakra and its ribbon, the third highest military decoration of India
Awarded by Republic of India
Country Republic of India
TypeMedal
EligibilityMilitary Personnel Only
Awarded forActs of gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land or at sea or in the air.
StatusCurrently Awarded
Post-nominalsVrC
Statistics
First awarded1947
Last awarded2019
Posthumous
awards		361
Distinct
recipients		1322 (As of 2017)[1]
Precedence
Next (higher)Ati Vishisht Seva Medal[2]
EquivalentShaurya Chakra[2]
Next (lower)Yudh Seva Medal[2]

Origin

Established by the President of India on 26 January 1950 (with effect from 15 August 1947). The statutes were amended 12 January 1952 to readjust the order of wearing as new decorations were established.

Appearance

The medal is 1-3/8 inch circular silver medal. A five pointed star, with the chakra in the center, and, on this, the domed gilded state emblem. The decoration is named on the rim and suspended from a swiveling straight-bar suspender. The decoration is almost always named and dated on the edge. Around a plain center, two legends separated by lotus flowers; above Vir Chakra in Hindi and in English. The ribbon is 32 mm, half dark blue and half orange-saffron. Dark blue 16 mm, saffron 16 mm.[4]

The award carries with it a cash allowance and, in some cases, a lump sum cash award. This has been a rather controversial issue throughout the life of the decoration. From 1 February 1999, the central government set a monthly stipend of Rs. 850 for recipients of the award. In addition, many states have established individual pension rewards for the recipients of the decoration.

List of Vir Chakra recipients

A total of 1322 personals received Vir Chakra. Some of the notable Vir Chakra awardees include:[5]

RankRecipientServiceDate
Major Tirath Singh Oberoi Indian Army 26 January, 1950 Kashmir War
Brigadier Harbaksh Singh Indian Army 1 May 1948 1948 Operation Polo
Wg Cdr Krishan Kant Saini Indian Air Force 18 Nov 1962 Operation Leg Horn
Lt Gen Zorawar Chand Bakshi Indian Army 05 Aug 1965 Operation Ablaze
Wg Cdr Trevor Keelor Indian Air Force 03 Sep 1965 Operation Riddle
Air Cmde Alfred Tyrone Cooke Indian Air Force 07 Sep 1965 Operation Riddle
Air Mrshl Denzil Keelor Indian Air Force 19 Sep 1965 Operation Riddle
Lt Gen Mohammad Ahmad Zaki Indian Army 20 Sep 1965 Operation Riddle
Adm Laxminarayan Ramdass Indian Navy 01 Dec 1971 Operation Cactus Lily
Lt Col Satish Nambiar Indian Army 11 Dec 1971 Operation Cactus Lily
Air Cmde Jasjit Singh Indian Air Force 17 Dec 1971 Operation Cactus Lily
Vice Adm Arun Prakash Indian Navy 21 Dec 1971 Operation Cactus Lily
Squadron Leader M A Ganapathy Indian Air force 1972 Boyra Encounter (1971)
Flight Lieutenant Lawrence Frederic Pereira Indian Air Force 26 Jan 1972 Operation Cactus Lilly
Lieutenant-General Francis Tiburtius Dias Indian Army 15 August 1972 Operation Cactus Lilly
Sqn Ldr Ajay Ahuja Indian Air Force 01 Jan 1999 Operation Safed Sagar, Kargil War
Col Magod Basappa Ravindranath Indian Army, 2 Rajputana Rifles 28 Jun 1999 Battle of Tololing, Kargil War
Lt Colonel Ramakrishnan Vishwanathan Indian Army, 18 grenadiers Jun 1999 Battle of Tololing, Kargil War
L/HAV RAM KUMAR Indian Army, 18 grenadiers Jun 1999 Battle of Tololing, Kargil War[6]
Major Mariappan Saravanan Indian Army 15 Aug 1999 Operation Vijay, Kargil War
Col Lalit Rai Indian Army 15 Aug 1999 Operation Vijay (1999), Kargil War
Lt. Col. Yogesh Kumar Joshi Indian Army 15 Aug 1999 Operation Vijay (1999), Kargil War[7]
Sepoy Roshan Kumar Indian Army 15 Aug 1999 Operation Vijay, Kargil War
Havildar Chuni Lal Indian Army 30 Aug 2000 Operation Vijay, Kargil War
Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman Indian Air Force 15 Aug 2019 2019 India-Pakistan standoff

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References
  1. http://gallantryawards.gov.in/awardees-0
  2. "Precedence Of Medals". indianarmy.nic.in/. Indian Army. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  3. http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Awards/awavrc.htm
  4. "Bharat Raksahk Monitor: Volume 3(6)". Bharat-rakshak.com. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  5. "Vir Chakra Awardee List". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  6. "L/HAV RAM KUMAR".
  7. "Lt Col Yogesh Kumar Joshi".
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