New Delhi / Srinagar, October 31, 2026: National Investigation Agency (NIA) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) IPS Sandeep Chaudhary has been conferred the Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak for 2026 in the Investigation category. The award recognises his leadership of the probe into the April 22, 2025, terror attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people predominantly tourists, along with one local resident were killed.
A 2012-batch IPS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, Chaudhary currently serves as DIG in the NIA. He functioned as the Chief Investigating Officer after the agency assumed charge of the case shortly following the attack. The investigation led to the filing of chargesheets before the Special NIA Court in Jammu.
These included a detailed original chargesheet and a subsequent supplementary chargesheet that named Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed (in his individual capacity and as supreme commander) and Pakistani handler Sajid Jatt among the accused. The filings also identified other individuals, including terrorists killed in a subsequent operation and local facilitators alleged to have provided logistical support, and invoked provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the awards on Saturday, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (observed as National Unity Day). A total of 490 personnel from States, Union Territories, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and Central Police Organisations (CPOs) were selected for the 2026 awards. Of these, 358 were recognised in the Special Operation category, 123 in the Investigation category, and nine in the Forensic Science category.
The medal was instituted by the MHA through a notification dated February 1, 2024, and is conferred for excellence in operations, outstanding investigation, exceptional performance, intelligence services, and meritorious work in forensic science. It aims to recognise professional excellence, promote high standards, and boost the morale of police and security personnel.
Chaudhary’s prior service includes postings as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Shopian, Anantnag, and Srinagar, where he led multiple counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir. He has received gallantry medals on nine occasions for his role in anti-terror operations in the Union Territory. In 2021, an operation under his leadership resulted in the arrest of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Syed Naveed Mushtaq alias Naveed Babu, along with then Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh.
He has also been awarded commendation discs by the Chief of Army Staff, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command, the Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force, and the Directors General of the CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), and the NIA.
The MHA promoted Chaudhary to the rank of DIG on a pro forma basis with effect from January 1, 2026. Inspector Feroz Ahmad Itoo from Jammu and Kashmir is among the other recipients of the medal in the investigation category.
The recognition places Chaudhary among personnel nationally honoured for contributions to high-profile investigations and counter-terrorism efforts.
