The military investiture ceremony held in the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday marked both the high and low points of the military under the Narendra Modi Government.
While the second highest peacetime gallantry award ‘Kirti Chakra’ went to a young officer, Major Rohit Suri, who was part of the surgical strikes last year, the seniormost Lieutenant General Eastern Army Commander Praveen Bakshi, who was side stepped in the appointment of the Army Chief, was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the highest Distinguished Service Medal.
“Major Rohit Suri was the mission leader of the team which was tasked to carry out operations against terrorist’s hideout in J&K,” the citation read. Sources said he led the team of the Army’s 4 Para Special Forces which conducted surgical strikes on terrorist camps along the LoC. The citation stated that, by his decisive thinking, professional approach, warrior ethos, exemplary leadership and courage beyond the call of duty, Maj. Rohit Suri ensured the execution of the task flawlessly with clockwork precision and eliminated four terrorists in close quarter combat.
Shaurya Chakra
Another member of the surgical strikes team Nb Sub Vijay Kumar was conferred the Shaurya Chakra for the “vital role during the close recce carried out prior to the assault which gathered crucial information about the hideout and facilitated the mission planning.”
In all, Mr. Mukherjee conferred 13 Shaurya Chakras on military personnel, who were also involved in operations against terrorists in the Pathankot Air Force station and the government institute near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. Six of the 13 Shaurya Chakras were conferred posthumously.
Mr. Mukherjee also conferred Distinguished Service Medals on senior military officers which included 15 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, three Yudh Seva Medals (YSM) and 23 Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM).
