Ashok Chakra Award

Ashok Chakra Award

The Ashok Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valor, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is the peace time 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 and may be awarded posthumously. It replaced the British George Cross.

Subsequent awards of the Ashoka Chakra are recognized by a bar to the medal ribbon (Flt Lt Suhas Biswas was the first Indian Air Force officer to be awarded with Ashoka Chakra). It is possible for a recipient to be awarded the Kirti Chakra or Shaurya Chakra in addition for separate acts of gallantry.