New Delhi: Six officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have been conferred the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM), while 25 others have been awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM) as part of the Republic Day 2026 honours announced on Friday.

The awards form part of a larger list of 982 police, fire, home guard, civil defence and correctional services personnel recognised this year for gallantry and exemplary service. The Ministry of Home Affairs released the complete honours roll on the eve of the 77th Republic Day celebrations.

Six CBI officers recognised for distinguished service

The President’s Medal for Distinguished Service, given for an exceptional and consistently high standard of service, has been awarded to:

  • Chandrasekar Venupillai, IPS, Head of Delhi Zone, CBI, New Delhi
  • Amit Srivastava, Superintendent of Police (SP Admin), CBI Headquarters, New Delhi
  • Mukesh Sharma, Additional SP, CBI SC-III, New Delhi
  • Pramod Kumar Yati, Sub-Inspector, CBI Special Unit, Kolkata
  • Chaman Lal, Assistant Sub-Inspector, CBI Academy, Ghaziabad
  • Ramu Golla, Head Constable, CBI ACB, Hyderabad

Twenty-five awarded Police Medal for Meritorious Service

The MSM, presented for noteworthy commitment and devotion to duty, has been conferred on 25 CBI personnel from various wings and field units across the country. Recipients include officers from investigation units, anti-corruption branches, specialised divisions, technical sections and the CBI Academy.

Awardees are:

  • Venkata Subba Reddy Chinnakondu, IPS, Head of Zone (SC Zone), New Delhi
  • Sadanand Shankarrao, IPS, Deputy Inspector General, ACB Mumbai
  • Manmohan Sharma, Deputy Legal Advisor, ACB New Delhi
  • Baidyanath Samal, Additional SP, ACB Bhubaneswar
  • Kailash Sahu, Additional SP, AC-I New Delhi
  • Rubi Choudhary, DSP, ACB Patna
  • Manish Kumar Upadhyay, DSP, EOB Kolkata
  • Anmol Sachan, DSP, ACB Delhi
  • Nishu Kushwaha, DSP, CBI Academy, Ghaziabad
  • Arijit Sinha, DSP, ACB Lucknow
  • Sharad Suresh Bhawar, DSP, SU Mumbai
  • Thahir Abbas P, DSP, SCB Thiruvananthapuram
  • Dharmendra Kumar, DSP, BSFB Mumbai
  • Dharmender, Inspector, ACB Dehradun
  • Deepti Vashista, Programmer, System Division, New Delhi
  • Narikote Nandini, Office Superintendent, STB Chennai
  • Vinod Kumar, Assistant Sub-Inspector, SCB Lucknow
  • Netram Chourasiya, Head Constable, SC-I New Delhi
  • Puran Mal Gujar, Head Constable, ACB Jaipur
  • Bhola Roy, Head Constable, ACB Patna
  • Babu Varghese, Head Constable, Complaint & Coordination Cell, New Delhi
  • Vikram Singh, Head Constable, CBI Headquarters, New Delhi
  • Sanjeev Kumar, Constable, BSFB Bangalore
  • Waikhom Rajesh Singh, Constable, ACB Imphal
  • Rupendra Kumar, Constable, CBI Headquarters, New Delhi

Gallantry medals lead nation’s Policing honours

This year’s Republic Day list includes 125 gallantry awards, with the highest number going to personnel serving in Jammu and Kashmir, followed by those engaged in anti-Naxal operations and deployments in the Northeast. Four Fire Service rescuers are also among the gallantry awardees.

Jammu and Kashmir Police topped the gallantry tally with 33 medals, followed by Maharashtra Police with 31, Uttar Pradesh with 18, and Delhi Police with 14. Among the Central Armed Police Forces, CRPF secured all 12 gallantry citations given to CAPFs this year.

In total, the government has conferred 101 President’s Medals for Distinguished Service and 756 Medals for Meritorious Service nationwide.

Republic Day 2026

The honours come as Delhi prepares for an elaborate and tightly secured 77th Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path on Monday. President Droupadi Murmu will lead the national celebrations, with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attending as Chief Guests. Prime Minister Modi, after paying homage at the War Memorial, will join her for the ceremonial parade that begins at 9:30 am.

This year’s parade will feature several firsts, including:

  • debut of the Bhairav Light Commando Battalion
  • an animal contingent from the Remount & Veterinary Corps
  • enhanced tri-service representation, reflecting joint operations after 2025’s Operation Sindoor

The parade will also commemorate 150 years of the national song Vande Mataram and showcase 30 tableaux–17 from states and UTs and 13 from ministries and services.

Security tightened across the capital

Delhi Police have rolled out a multi-layered security grid, integrating paramilitary units, AI-enabled surveillance tools and smart glasses for threat detection. Over 1,000 high-definition cameras, linked to facial recognition systems, monitor the parade route. Traffic restrictions around central Delhi will remain in force until the event concludes.

Air Force flypast to feature ‘Sindoor’ formation

The Indian Air Force will present a special “Sindoor” formation, comprising Rafale, Su-30, MiG-29 and Jaguar aircraft–an aerial tribute to fighters deployed during Operation Sindoor. A total of 29 IAF aircraft will participate in the grand finale flypast.