President Droupadi Murmu conferred the prestigious Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, upon Captain Lalrinawma Sailo of the elite 4 PARA (Special Forces) during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The 27-year-old officer from Aizawl, Mizoram, has become the first Army commissioned officer from the state to receive the distinguished honour for exceptional courage and leadership during a counter-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Captain Sailo was recognised for his role in a high-risk mission conducted in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in Pahalgam. As part of Operation Mahadev, he led a specialised team tasked with tracking and neutralising the terrorists responsible for the attack on civilians.
According to official accounts, Captain Sailo employed advanced surveillance technology, including a mini remotely piloted vehicle (RPV), to identify and locate the terrorists. Acting on the intelligence gathered, his team launched a swift assault and eliminated three heavily armed terrorists in a close-quarter encounter that lasted just 58 seconds.
The operation was widely praised as a precise and successful strike. Despite sustaining injuries during the mission, Captain Sailo continued to lead his team until the objective was achieved.
An alumnus of the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), the National Defence Academy (NDA), and the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Captain Sailo is regarded as one of the rising officers of the Indian Army’s Special Forces.
The Kirti Chakra award marks a historic achievement for Mizoram. Captain Sailo is the first Army commissioned officer from the state to receive the honour and only the second Mizo individual to be awarded the Kirti Chakra. The first recipient from the community was Subedar Chalhnuna Lushai, who received the award in 1968.
The Mizoram government has also honoured Captain Sailo for his extraordinary bravery and service to the nation.
