Major Aditya Pratap Singh, SC, SM, of the 9th Battalion, The Rajputana Rifles, currently serving with 44 Assam Rifles, has emerged as one of the Indian Army’s most decorated young officers after being awarded a Bar to the Shaurya Chakra on the eve of Independence Day 2026. The honour recognises his exceptional gallantry during a counter-insurgency operation on 5 July 2025 along the Indo-Myanmar border.
The latest decoration marks the second time Major Singh has been awarded the Shaurya Chakra. He had earlier received the prestigious peacetime gallantry award for an operation conducted on 24 October 2024. He is also a recipient of the Sena Medal (Gallantry), giving him a rare combination of three significant gallantry distinctions earned during operational service.
Major Aditya Pratap Singh hails from Bari Panai village in Beeghapur tehsil of Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh. He comes from a family with a long tradition of service to the nation. His great-grandfather, late Bharat Singh, was a freedom fighter, while his maternal grandfather, late Major Durga Singh, served in the armed forces. His father passed away in 2010, after which his mother and elder brother played an important role in his upbringing.
Major Singh was commissioned into the Indian Army in 2013 and joined The Rajputana Rifles, one of the oldest and most decorated infantry regiments of the Army. He has been associated with the 9th Battalion, The Rajputana Rifles, and over the years has served in demanding operational environments.
In 2019, he had the honour of leading the Rajputana Rifles contingent during the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi. The responsibility of commanding a regimental contingent at the national parade reflected the confidence placed in him by his unit and the Army at an early stage of his career.
His first major gallantry recognition came with the Sena Medal (Gallantry), announced on the occasion of Republic Day 2021. The award recognised his courage during a counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operation in which he reportedly engaged terrorists at close quarters and sustained injuries during the action.
Major Singh later joined 44 Assam Rifles for operational duties in the Northeast, where he has been involved in counter-insurgency operations along the sensitive Indo-Myanmar border.
On 24 October 2024, Major Singh acted on specific intelligence regarding the movement of a heavily armed insurgent group in the Indo-Myanmar border region. He took charge of the operation and maintained surveillance over the suspected area for nearly 72 hours despite difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions.
Once the insurgents were located, an intense firefight broke out at close range. Major Singh came under heavy automatic fire at a distance of approximately 30 metres. Despite the immediate threat to his life, he continued to engage the insurgents and eliminated a most-wanted militant.
His actions helped neutralise a major threat and demonstrated exceptional courage, tactical awareness and leadership under fire. For this operation, he was awarded the Shaurya Chakra.
President Droupadi Murmu presented the Shaurya Chakra to Major Aditya Pratap Singh during the Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 8 June 2026.
Less than a year after the October 2024 operation, Major Singh once again displayed extraordinary courage during another encounter on 5 July 2025.
At approximately 4:45 am, while leading a patrol through dense and treacherous terrain along the Indo-Myanmar border, his team suddenly came under intense automatic and grenade fire from insurgents.
Realising that his scout was exposed to the enemy fire, Major Singh immediately moved to protect the soldier and pulled him into cover. During the engagement, enemy fire struck Major Singh’s backpack, narrowly missing him.
Instead of withdrawing from the engagement, he crawled forward under sustained enemy fire in an attempt to gain a tactical advantage. During this movement, he sustained splinter injuries but continued the operation despite his wounds.
Major Singh subsequently charged towards the insurgent position and used superior field craft to close in on the enemy. He lobbed a grenade towards the hostile position and followed it with accurate close-quarter fire.
During the action, he eliminated a most-wanted top operational commander belonging to a high-profile insurgent group. The operation also resulted in the recovery of a significant quantity of war-like stores.
His courage during the encounter, particularly his decision to save a fellow soldier before advancing towards the enemy despite being injured, was recognised with the award of a Bar to the Shaurya Chakra.
The Bar to the Shaurya Chakra was approved by the President of India on 14 August 2026 as part of the gallantry awards announced on the eve of India’s 80th Independence Day.
A Bar to a gallantry award is presented when an individual who has already received the decoration performs another act worthy of the same award. Major Singh’s latest honour therefore represents his second Shaurya Chakra for a separate act of exceptional courage.
With the Sena Medal (Gallantry), Shaurya Chakra and Bar to Shaurya Chakra to his name, Major Aditya Pratap Singh has built an extraordinary record of operational service within a relatively short military career.
His journey from a village in Unnao to leading soldiers in some of the most demanding counter-insurgency operations along the Indo-Myanmar border is an inspiring example for young Indians aspiring to join the armed forces.
For defence aspirants preparing for the SSB interview, Major Aditya Pratap Singh’s story reflects qualities that the armed forces value deeply — courage under pressure, responsibility for subordinates, quick decision-making, determination and the willingness to lead from the front.
His repeated acts of gallantry underline the ethos of The Rajputana Rifles and its famous motto, “Veer Bhogya Vasundhara” — the brave shall inherit the earth.
