Spotlight On Op Sindoor, Air Force As Distinguished Service Awards Announced

The Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal -- the country's highest wartime distinguished service decoration - will be awarded to seven officers of the armed forces, bringing the spotlight on Operation Sindoor and their contribution in it. Of them, four officers are from the Indian Air Force, which played a key role in decimating the terrorist groups' headquarters in Muridke and Bahawalpur and Pakistan military assets during Operation Sindoor.

This is the first time the number of IAF officers being decorated are more than the Army and the Navy. 

The officers who would receive the award are:

• Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, GOC-in-C Northern Command
• Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, DG Military Ops
• Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh (Retd) - FOC-in-C Western Naval Command
• Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, Vice Chief of Air Staff
• Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor - AOC-in-C Southern Air Command
• Air Marshal Jeetandra Mishra - AOC-in-C Western Air Command
• Air Marshal AK Bharti - DGAO

The Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal was last distributed to the IAF after the Kargil war. The award is a war-time equivalent of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal that is given for distinguished service of the most exceptional order. 

The government said the Air Force played a crucial role in delivering precision strikes against terror infrastructure across Pakistan. 

It conducted high-impact air operations on targets such as the Nur Khan Air Base and the Rahimyar Khan Air Base, with visual evidence of damage presented during official briefings. 

"The Air Force's robust air defence environment proved pivotal in protecting Indian airspace during retaliatory drone and UAV attacks from across the border. The indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air missile system and legacy platforms like the Pechora and OSA-AK were deployed effectively in a layered defence grid. The IAF's Integrated Air Command and Control System enabled real-time coordination of air assets, allowing Indian forces to neutralize aerial threats efficiently and maintain net-centric operations throughout the conflict," the government said.

Operation Sindoor - the strongest action till date against Pakistan and PoK-based terror bases and retaliatory action against Pakistani armed offensive following the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam - is expected to be the centerpiece of this year's Independence Day celebrations. 

Already floral decorations celebrating it have made an appearance in parts of Delhi and its logo on Gyanpath, the avenue at the heart of the city. It has been seen on the Independence Day invitations and is expected to adorn the dais. Helicopters will hold a special fly-past to mark the massive success of the operation.  

The four-day operation of the armed forces is also expected to feature in the customary address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort. The decorated officers will share the dais with PM Modi. 

Sixteen Border Security Force personnel have been awarded gallantry medals for displaying "conspicuous bravery" and "unmatched valour" during Operation Sindoor.

India had struck nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir eliminating over a hundred terrorists, during Op Sindoor from May 7 to May 10. Six Pakistani aircraft - including five fighter jets and another large aircraft - were downed. Aerial strikes were also conducted against 11 Pakistani air bases, including Nur Khan (Chaklala), Rafiqui, Murid, Sukkur, Sialkot, Pasrur, Chunian, Sargodha, Skardu, Bholari, and Jacobabad.