New Delhi / Imphal: Lieutenant Colonel Maneo Francis PF, SC, an officer of the elite 21st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), has been awarded the Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, for displaying exceptional courage, tactical brilliance and leadership during a high-risk counter-insurgency operation in Manipur.
President Droupadi Murmu approved the award on 14 August 2026 as part of 78 gallantry decorations announced on the eve of the 80th Independence Day. Lt Col Francis is one of only three Indian Army personnel selected for the Kirti Chakra this cycle (one of them posthumous). The citation specifically recognises his role in eliminating two heavily armed insurgents in close combat after prolonged intelligence development and surveillance.
Background and Profile
Lieutenant Colonel Maneo Francis PF hails from Tadubi village in Senapati district of Manipur. Commissioned into the Indian Army in June 2012 after graduating from the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, he was posted to 21 Para (Special Forces), one of the Army’s premier special forces units specialising in airborne operations, jungle warfare, counter-terrorism and direct-action missions.
His deep roots in the region have been repeatedly noted as an operational asset, giving him an intimate understanding of the local terrain, communities and the complex dynamics of insurgency in Manipur. He has served as Assault Team Commander of his unit and has been operating extensively in the state since at least 2022.
Francis is already a recipient of the Shaurya Chakra, awarded for a daring operation conducted on 4–5 January 2023. In that action, acting on intelligence of a planned sabotage targeting a VIP, he laid an ambush near a border pillar, outflanked a group of heavily armed insurgents under fire, eliminated a self-styled Major (a commander linked to earlier attacks on Assam Rifles), and injured another while ensuring the safety of his team. The Shaurya Chakra was conferred by the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2024. He was later felicitated by the Government of Manipur at Raj Bhavan, Imphal, in October 2025.
The Kirti Chakra Operation (29 October – 4 November 2025)
According to the official citation released by the Ministry of Defence, Lt Col Francis, as Assault Team Commander, “swiftly established a highly coordinated intelligence network to systematically dismantle anti-national elements fueling violence and division in Manipur.”
After several months of sustained intelligence development focused on a high-profile violent insurgent group, and following specialised target-specific training of his team, he launched a coordinated operation to raid and dismantle the group’s hideout.
The team conducted seven days of protracted and intense surveillance. When the assault group finally approached the hideout and called upon the insurgents to surrender peacefully, the militants responded with heavy automatic fire.
Lt Col Francis then manoeuvred his assault group from the northern side of the hideout and successfully eliminated one sentry. Subsequently, he outflanked a second insurgent who had pinned down the entire assault group. Displaying utter disregard for personal safety, the officer crawled under intense fire and eliminated the militant in close-quarter combat using superior combat skills.
The citation concludes: “For displaying resolute leadership, superior tactical acumen, the raw courage under fire in eliminating two heavily armed insurgents, meticulous planning, gallant and selfless acts, Lieutenant Colonel Maneo Francis PF, SC is recommended for the award of ‘Kirti Chakra’.” The effective date of the award is listed as 29 October 2025.
Broader Context of the Awards
The Kirti Chakra is second only to the Ashoka Chakra among peacetime gallantry awards. Of the nine Kirti Chakras approved this year, seven were posthumous. The other two Army recipients were Major Jitendra Rathee of 2 Para (SF) and Havildar Gajendra Singh of 2 Para (SF) (posthumous), both recognised for operations in the Kishtwar sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
The full list of 78 awards also included 19 Shaurya Chakras, five Bars to Sena Medal (Gallantry), 36 Sena Medals (Gallantry), and decorations for Navy and Air Force personnel. Thirteen awards overall were conferred posthumously.
Significance
Lt Col Francis’s recognition marks a rare double gallantry honour for an officer from Manipur’s Senapati district. His earlier Shaurya Chakra and now the Kirti Chakra underline consistent performance in one of the most complex internal security environments in the country. Both operations involved meticulous intelligence work, prolonged surveillance, and personal leadership under fire against well-armed insurgent elements.
As a local officer serving in his home state with 21 Para (SF), Francis represents the continuum of professional excellence that Special Forces units bring to counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism roles in the Northeast. His actions are being widely noted within defence circles as an example of the combination of human intelligence, tactical patience and individual courage that characterises successful special operations.
The awards will be formally presented in due course at investiture ceremonies.
