Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)


The Ashoka 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, 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.
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 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".

Ashoka Chakra recipients

†Indicates posthumous honour

YearRankRecipientBranch
2019Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani †Indian Army
2018CorporalJyoti Prakash Nirala †Indian Airforce
2017HavildarHangpan Dada †Indian Army
2016Lance NaikMohan Goswami †Indian Army
2014MajorMukund Varadarajan †Indian Army
2014NaikNeeraj Kumar Singh †Indian Army
2014Sub-InspectorK. Prasad Babu †Andhra Pradesh Police
2012LieutenantNavdeep Singh †Indian Army
2011MajorLaishram Jyotin Singh †Indian Army
2010HavildarRajesh Kumar †Indian Army
2010MajorD. Sreeram KumarIndian Army
2010MajorMohit Sharma †Indian Army
2009HavildarBahadur Singh Bohra †Indian Army
2009Joint Commissioner of PoliceHemant Karkare †Indian Police Service
2009InspectorVijay Salaskar †Maharashtra Police Service
2009Additional Commissioner of PoliceAshok Kamte †Indian Police Service
2009Assistant Sub- InspectorTukaram Omble †Maharashtra Police Service
2009HavildarGajender Singh Bisht †Indian Army
2009MajorSandeep Unnikrishnan †Indian Army
2009InspectorMohan Chand Sharma †Delhi Police
2009ColonelJojan Thomas †Indian Army
2009Police OfficerR. P. Diengdoh †Meghalaya Police
2009Assistant Commandant of PolicePramod Kumar Satapathy †Odisha Police
2008MajorDinesh Raghu Raman †Indian Army
2007CaptainRadhakrishnan Nair Harshan †Indian Army
2007Naib SubedarChuni Lal †Indian Army
2007ColonelVasanth Venugopal †Indian Army
2004LieutenantTriveni Singh †Indian Army
2004ParatrooperSanjog Chhetri †Indian Army
2003Assistant Commander Grade I. Suresh Chand Yadav †National Security Guard
2002SubedarSurinder Singh †Indian Army
2002NaikRambeer Singh Tomar †Indian Army
2001Jagdish Prasad Yadav †
2001Matbar Singh Negi †
2001ConstableKamlesh Kumari †CRPF
2000MajorSudhir Kumar Walia †Indian Army
1997Second LieutenantPuneet Nath Datt †Indian Army
1997Lieutenant ColonelShanti Swarup Rana †Indian Army
1996CaptainArun Singh Jasrotia †Indian Army
1995MajorRajiv Kumar Joon †Indian Army
1995SubedarSujjan Singh †Indian Army
1995Lieutenant ColonelHarsh Uday Singh Gaur †Indian Army
1994ColonelNeelakantan Jayachandran Nair †Indian Army
1993Second LieutenantRakesh Singh †Indian Army
1992CaptainSandeep Sankhla †Indian Army
1991Police OfficerRandhir Prasad Verma †Police Service
1987Flight AttendantNeerja Bhanot †Pan Am
1986Vijay Jagirdar †
1985Lance HavildarChhering MutupIndian Army
1985NaikNirbhay Singh †Indian Army
1985NaikBhawani Datt Joshi †Indian Army
1985LieutenantRam Prakash Roperia †Indian Army
1985CaptainJasbir Singh RainaIndian Army
1985MajorBhukant Misra †Indian Army
1985Wing CommanderRakesh SharmaIndian Airforce
1984Flight EngineerGennadi StrekalovSoviet Flight Engineer
1984ColonelYury MalyshevSoviet Airforce
1981Second LieutenantCyrus Addie PithawallaIndian Army
1974Munni Lal †
1974Naib SubedarGurnam Singh †Indian Army
1972ShriBhure LalMadhya Pradesh Police
1972CaptainUmmed Singh Mahra †Indian Army
1971ShriBaij Nath Singh †Indian Civilian
1969CaptainJas Ram SinghIndian Army
1968Takhat Singh
1968Lakhan Singh
1968Hukum Singh
1968Govind Singh
1968Dhanpat Singh
1967Head ConstableShankar Lal Shrivastava †Madhya Pradesh Police
1965ShriTej Singh †Indian Civilian
1965ShriLajja Ram †Indian Civilian
1965ShriChaman Lal †Indian Civilian
1965ShriPurshottam †Indian Civilian
1962Subedar MajorKharka Bahadur Limbu †Indian Army
1962CaptainMan Bahadur RaiIndian Army
1958CaptainEric James Tucker †Indian Army
1957Lieutenant ColonelJagannath Raoji Chitnis †Indian Army
1957Second LieutenantPollur Mutthuswamy Raman †Indian Army
1957HavildarJoginder Singh †Indian Army
1956Lance NaikSundar SinghIndian Army
1955PilotDamodar Kashinath Jatar †Air India
1952Flight LieutenantSuhas BiswasIndian Airforce
1952HavildarBachittar Singh †Indian Army
1952NaikNarbahadur ThapaIndian Army