National Investigation Agency officer IPS Sandeep Chaudhary has been selected for the Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak for 2026, with the Ministry of Home Affairs recognising his role in the investigation of the April 22, 2025 terror attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
The award falls under the Investigation category and was announced on Saturday, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which is observed as National Unity Day. The MHA said a total of 490 personnel from States, Union Territories, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and Central Police Organisations (CPOs) were chosen for the 2026 awards.
Role in the Pahalgam probe
According to the source, Chaudhary, a 2012-batch IPS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, currently serves as DIG in the NIA. He acted as the Chief Investigating Officer after the agency took over the case soon after the attack, in which 26 people, predominantly tourists, and one local resident were killed.
The investigation led to the filing of a detailed original chargesheet and a later supplementary chargesheet before the Special NIA Court in Jammu. The filings 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 chargesheets also referred to other individuals, including terrorists killed in a subsequent operation and local facilitators alleged to have provided logistical support. They invoked provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Awards and service record
Of the 490 awardees announced by the MHA, 358 were selected in the Special Operation category, 123 in the Investigation category, and nine in the Forensic Science category. The medal was instituted 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.
Chaudhary’s previous postings included serving as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Shopian, Anantnag, and Srinagar, where he led multiple counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir. The source says he has received gallantry medals on nine occasions for anti-terror operations in the Union Territory.
It also notes that 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.
His commendation discs have also come from 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. The source also mentions Inspector Feroz Ahmad Itoo from Jammu and Kashmir among the other recipients in the investigation category.
With this recognition, Chaudhary joins the list of personnel honoured nationally for work linked to high-profile investigations and counter-terrorism efforts.
