Prez presents Kirti Chakra to Capt Sailo

Aizawl: Capt. Lalrinawma Sailo (27), an officer of the 4 PARA (Special Forces) battalion of the Indian Army, was presented the Kirti Chakra by President Droupadi Murmu during the Defence Investiture Ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday.The Kirti Chakra, announced for Capt. Sailo on August 15, 2025, was awarded in recognition of exceptional courage, conspicuous bravery and selfless devotion to duty during peacetime.Capt. Sailo was honoured for demonstrating bravery and leadership under fire while serving as the Assault Team Commander during a counter-terrorism mission known as Operation Sindoor. To avenge a prior terror strike in Pahalgam, his unit penetrated a fortified terrorist base in Jammu & Kashmir. Under his battlefield leadership, the commandos neutralised the top terrorist leadership and their targets in a 58-second close-quarter fight.A native of Chanmari locality in Aizawl, he became the first commissioned Army officer from Mizoram to be conferred the Kirti Chakra and the second recipient of the gallantry award. Subedar Chalhnuna Lushai of the Assam Regiment earned the award in 1968.Capt. Sailo is an alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Military Academy (IMA).