In all, 425 officers and men of the armed forces received gallantry and other defence decorations this year.
The Army had paid rich tributes to 'Axel', a Belgian Malinois.
'No matter how much you get paid or how successful you get, nothing can match the fauj.'
The officer was involved in a dog fight with Pakistani fighter aircraft and was awarded a Shaurya Chakra for taking down an F-16 combat aircraft during the engagement.
Wing Commander Raveendran and flight steward Sargeant Iyer, though shaken and injured, managed to open the rear door of the aircraft and shouted for Prime Minister Morarji Desai and the passengers in the forward cabin to exit in haste since they suspected that fire would engulf the aircraft.
Colonel Ajay Kothiyal, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra, is one of the most decorated soldiers to join politics. He still has two bullets lodged inside his body sustained in a gun battle with terrorists in J&K.
A division bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Firdosh Pooniwalla said it was "not happy " and "surprised" with the government's stand despite orders passed by the court asking the chief minister to consider the matter as a "special case".
'As a child, I didn't even know that he was an IPS officer... It was much later when I came back to India'
A total of 946 medals have been announced by the Union home ministry for personnel and officers of Central Armed Police Forces and state police forces, out of which three have been decorated with the President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) while 177 have been awarded the PMG.
The Central Information Commission has asked the Indian army to hand over the court of inquiry, post-mortem and other reports related to the death of Shaurya Chakra awardee Captain Sumit Kohli to his mother Veena Kohli. Captain Kohli's death in 2006 in Jammu and Kashmir was stated to be a case of alleged suicide by his unit. Veena Kohli, a resident of Chandigarh, has been demanding reports and other documents related to the court of inquiry, post-mortem and inquest.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday approved a total of 112 gallantry awards for defence and paramilitary personnel for their sacrifices to the nation, the defence ministry said.
As India celebrates its 67th Republic Day, Rediff.com takes a look at some brave men who stood their ground to protect their country from those who sought to bleed it.
He was the lone survivor of the crash in which Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 armed forces personnel were killed.
'He continued firing with the other hand with the AK-47.' 'He was hit in the neck and shoulder, but did not let go of the terrorist.' On Republic Day, Mudasir Ahmed Sheikh of the J&K Police was awarded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously for eliminating three Pakistani terrorists.
The PMG was announced by the Union home ministry on the occasion of the 74th Republic Day, being celebrated on January 26 (Thursday).
The pilot ejected safely and a court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, the IAF said in a brief statement.
A contingent of about 140 personnel in black overalls, balaclava headgear and carrying special assault rifle MP-5 added dashing sheen to the parade.
The lone survivor in the IAF helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, and 12 others, and initially admitted to a hospital at Wellington in the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, was shifted to Bengaluru for higher treatment on Thursday, official sources said.
Comprising not just the gritty Gorkhas, but also men from Kumaon and Garhwal regions, Sir Robert Colquhuon had raised the regiment on April 24, 1815 in Uttaranchal's Almora.
The Army has appointed Lt Gen NPS Hira as Deputy Chief of Army Staff with effect from March 14.
'The families of those who die during operations are looked after very well by the army, but those who die in non-combat situations do not receive the same attention.'
Glimpses of the solemn ceremony Shaurya Sandhya ahead of the 24th Kargil Vijay Diwas, which commemorates India's victory in the 1999 Kargil War at the Kargil War Memorial, Dras, in Kargil, Ladakh.
'Crores are spent on Martyrs Day and on lighting candles, but people don't respect living soldiers who are heroes.'
Col N S Bal, who had earned a Shaurya Chakra and ran marathons despite battling cancer, died on Thursday at a hospital in Bengaluru, officials said.
'I used to be scared because operating in Kashmir is always fraught with danger.' 'His absence will be felt lifelong.'
IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor in the helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and 12 others, is being shifted to Bengaluru from the Army hospital at Wellington in Tamil Nadu, his father said on Thursday.
Singh's wife and daughter, his father Colonel K P Singh (retd), mother Uma besides, other close relatives were also present there and bid a teary-eyed farewell to him.
If you can't control law and order, then resign, VHP tells NDA government in Bihar.
The ISYF is supported by Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI.
Those covered under the raids also included gangsters involved in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
Kangana Ranaut plays an Air Force pilot in Tejas, joining an increasing list of films and shows centered around women playing significant roles in their careers.
Twenty-seven months after she lost her husband in an anti-insurgency operation in south Kashmir's Pulwama, 29-year-old Nitika Kaul on Saturday donned the army uniform after completing a one-year rigorous training in Tamil Nadu.
After the guard of honour, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, military and other officials paid floral tributes to the decorated air warrior.
'If I talk about my parents' sacrifices, this conversation will never end,' says Lieutenant Loveneet Singh.
Abhi comes from a family which has served the Indian Air Force since World War II when his grandfather Simhakutty was a member of the air force.
He said 162 terrorists and Maoists were killed across the country in 2021-22.
A salute to Commando Mudasir Ahmed Sheikh, known as Bindaas to Indian Army officers and colleagues in the J&K police, who was killed in action last week in an encounter that eliminated three terrorists in Kashmir.
'India showcased its ability to launch multiple Special Forces strikes simultaneously across a well defended front.' 'Through these strikes Pakistan was given a glimpse of the full range of India's military capabilities,' says Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
27 mountaineers perished in an avalanche in the mountains of Uttarakhand last week. The mountaineers were returning from a trek to the Draupadi's Danda mountain peak when disaster struck at 8.45 am in the morning.
Colonel M N Rai's supreme sacrifice highlights that the Indian Army continues to be led from the front by its officers.