# Awards and decorations of the Bangladesh Liberation War

Awards and decorations of the Bangladesh Liberation War were decorations bestowed by the major warring parties for actions during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Bangladesh, India and Pakistan all issued awards and decorations related to the conflict.
A listing of the medals bestowed are as follows:

## Bangladesh
### Gallantry awards

A total of 677 participants of the Bangladesh War of Independence received gallantry awards for their service and bravery. Four categories of gallantry awards were created after the war in Bangladesh. These were:
* Bir Sreshtho
The Bir Sreshtho (Bengali: বীরশ্রেষ্ঠ) (Valiant of Courage), is the highest military award of Bangladesh. It was awarded to seven freedom fighters who showed utmost bravery and died in action for their nation. They are considered martyrs.
Recipients All the recipients of this award were killed in action during the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971. The award was published by the Bangladesh Gazette on 15 December 1973. It is the highest military award of Bangladesh, similar to the U.S. Medal of Honor or the UK's Victoria Cross. It has only been given in 1973 to seven people. Listed below are the people who have received the Bir Srestho medal. They are all considered 'Shaheed' (Martyrs).
* Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir †
* Sepoy Hamidur Rahman †
* Sepoy Mostafa Kamal †
* Engine room artificer Ruhul Amin †
* Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman †
* Lance Naik Munshi Abdur Rouf †
* Lance Naik Nur Mohammad Sheikh †
* Bir Uttom (Bengali: বীর উত্তম Valiant of Courage)
Recipients
| No. | NAME | SECTOR | RANK |
| 01 | Khaja Nazimuddin Bhuiyan, (posthumous) | Sector-04 | Leader Public Force/Gano Bahini |
| 02 | K M Shafiullah | Commander, S Force | Major |
| 03 | Ziaur Rahman | Commander, Z Force | Major |
| 04 | Chittoronjon Datta | Sector Commander-04 | Major |
| 05 | Kazi Nuruzzaman | Sector Commander-07 | Major |
| 06 | Mir Showkat Ali | Sector Commander-05 | Major |
| 07 | Khaled Mosharraf | Commander, K Force | Major |
| 08 | Abdul Manzur | Sector Commander-08 | Major |
| 09 | Abu Taher | Interim Sector Commander-11 | Major |
| 10 | A N M Nuruzzaman | Sector Commander-03 | Captain |
| 11 | Rafiqul Islam | Sector Commander-01 | Captain |
| 12 | Abdus Salek Choudhury | Sector Commander-02 | Captain |
| 13 | Aminul Haque | Commander, 8 East Bengal | Major |
| 14 | Mohammad Abdur Rab | Army chief, AHQ | Lieutenant Colonel |
| 15 | A K Khandker | Deputy Chief of Staff Army | Group Captain |
| 16 | Shahjahan Omar | – | – |
| 17 | Kader Siddique | – | – |
| 18 | Liakat Ali Khan | – | – |
| 19 | Shahabuddin Ahmed | – | – |
| 20 | Anwar Hossain Pahari | – | – |
| 21 | Aftab Ali | (Sector-11)3rd East Bengal | subeder |
| 22 | Motiur Rahman | – | Lieutenant Colonel |
* Bir Bikrom (Bengali: বীর বিক্রম Valiant hero)
A total of 175 fighters have been awarded on 15 December 1973 for their heroic actions at the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. The government of Bangladesh declared the name of the awardees in Bangladesh Gazette on 15 December 1973. In recent 1 Bir Bikrom title award postponed. So total Bir Bikram awarded person is 174.
* Bir Protik (Bengali: বীর প্রতীক Idol of Courage)
This award was officially declared on 15 December 1973 through the Bangladesh Gazette. According to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, a total of 426 people have received the award.

### Liberation War medals

* Samor Pawdok (War Medal)
* Joy Pawdok (Victory Medal)
* Rono Taroka (Campaign Star)
* Mukti Taroka (Liberation Star)

### Civilian awards

* Independence Award
The Independence Day Award (Bengali: স্বাধীনতা পদক), also termed Independence Award (Bengali: স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977, this award is bestowed upon Bangladeshi citizens or organisations in recognition of substantial contribution to one of many fields, including the War of Liberation, the language movement, education, literature, journalism, public service, science and technology, medical science, social science, song, games and sports, fine arts, rural development, and other areas.
* Bangladesh Freedom Honour -(Bengali: বাংলাদেশ স্বাধীনতা সম্মাননা Bānglādēśa sbādhīnatā sam'mānanā); posthumously conferred on former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi.
* Bangladesh Liberation War Honour -(Bengali: বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ সম্মাননা Bānglādēśa muktiyud'dha sam'mānanā); conferred to heads of states and heads of governments:
* King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck
* President Fidel Castro
* President Pranab Mukherjee
* Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral.
* Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
* President Ram Baran Yadav
* Prime Minister/ Acting Head of state Girija Prasad Koirala
* Prime Minister Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala
* General Secretary Leonid IIyich Brezhnev
* President Nikolai Viktorovich Podgorny
* Prime Minister Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin
* Prime Minister Sir Edward Richard George Heath
* President Marshal Josip Broz Tito
* Friends of Liberation War Honour -(Bengali: মুক্তিযুদ্ধ মৈত্রী সম্মাননা Muktiyud'dha maitrī sam'mānanā); conferred to individuals, six organisations and Mitra Bahini. The individuals include 257 Indians, 88 Americans, 41 Pakistanis, 39 Britons, 9 Russians, 18 Nepalese, 16 French and 18 Japanese. Three ceremonies were held between March 2012 and October 2012.

## India

* Param Vir Chakra
Recipients of the Param Vir Chakra:
| S. No. | Rank | Name |
| 01 | Lance Naik | Albert Ekka |
| 02 | Flying Officer | Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon (Posthumously) |
| 03 | Major | Hoshiar Singh |
| 04 | Second Lieutenant | Arun Khetarpal (Posthumously) |
* Maha Vir Chakra
Recipients
| S. no. | Rank | Name | Operation/War | Date of Award |
| 01 | L/Nt | Ram Ugram Pandey | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 24 November 1971 |
| 02 | Sep | Ansuya Prasad | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 30 November 1971 |
| 03 | Rfn | Pati Ram Gurung | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 30 November 1971 |
| 04 | Maj | Gen Shamsher Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 1 December 1971 |
| 05 | Vice Adm | Swaraj Parkash | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 1 December 1971 |
| 06 | Maj | Anup Singh Gahlaut | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 3 December 1971 |
| 07 | Brig | Basdev Singh Mankotia | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 3 December 1971 |
| 08 | Maj | Gen Anant Vishwanath Natu | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 3 December 1971 |
| 09 | Maj | Gen Kashmiri Lal Rattan | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 3 December 1971 |
| 10 | Maj | Gen Prem Kumar Khanna | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 3 December 1971 |
| 11 | Lt Col | Jaivir Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 3 December 1971 |
| 12 | AVM | Vidya Bhushan Vasisht | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 3 December 1971 |
| 13 | Gp Capt | Allan Albert D'Costa | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 4 December 1971 |
| 14 | Sub Maj (Hony Capt) | Bir Bahadur Pun | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 4 December 1971 |
| 15 | Cmde | Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 4 December 1971 |
| 16 | Gen | Arun Shridhar Vaidya | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 5 December 1971 |
| 17 | Cmde | Babru Bhan Yadav | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 5 December 1971 |
| 18 | Capt | Devinder Singh Ahlawat | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 5 December 1971 |
| 19 | Lt Gen | Krishnaswamy Gowri Shankar | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 5 December 1971 |
| 20 | Brig | Kuldip Singh Chandpuri | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 5 December 1971 |
| 21 | Brig | Narinder Singh Sandhu | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 5 December 1971 |
| 22 | Wg Cdr | Padmanabha Gautam | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 5 December 1971 |
| 23 | Air Mrshl | Ravinder Nath Bhardwaj | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 5 December 1971 |
| 24 | Lt Col | Sawai Bhawani Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 5 December 1971 |
| 25 | Lt Gen | Joginder Singh Gharaya | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 6 December 1971 |
| 26 | Brig | Kailash Prasad Pande | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 6 December 1971 |
| 27 | Brig | Mohindar Lal Whig | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 6 December 1971 |
| 28 | Sep | Pandurang Salunkhe | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 6 December 1971 |
| 29 | AVM | Chandan Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 7 December 1971 |
| 30 | Maj Gen | Chittoor Venugopal | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 7 December 1971 |
| 31 | Lt Gen | Joginder Singh Bakshi | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 7 December 1971 |
| 32 | Sub Maj | Mohinder Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 7 December 1971 |
| 33 | Maj | Chewang Rinchen | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 8 December 1971 |
| 34 | P/O | Chiman Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 8 December 1971 |
| 35 | Cdr | Joseph Pius Alfred Noronha | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 8 December 1971 |
| 36 | Brig | Udai Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 8 December 1971 |
| 37 | Capt | Mahendra Nath Mulla | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 9 December 1971 |
| 38 | Nt | Sugan Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 9 December 1971 |
| 39 | Brig | Rattan Nath Sharma | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 10 December 1971 |
| 40 | Maj | Gen Harish Chandra Pathak | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 11 December 1971 |
| 41 | Maj | Gen Kulwant Singh Pannu | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 11 December 1971 |
| 42 | Brig | Sukhjit Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 11 December 1971 |
| 43 | Maj | Vijay Rattan Choudhry | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 11 December 1971 |
| 44 | L/Nt | Drig Pal Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 13 December 1971 |
| 45 | Capt | Pradip Kumar Gour | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 14 December 1971 |
| 46 | Brig | Amarjit Singh Bal | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 15 December 1971 |
| 47 | Sub Maj (Hony Capt) | Thomas Philipose | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 15 December 1971 |
| 48 | Lt Col | Ved Prakash Ghai | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 15 December 1971 |
| 49 | Lt Gen | Hanut Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 16 December 1971 |
| 50 | Lt Gen | Raj Mohan Vohra | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 16 December 1971 |
| 51 | Capt | Shankar Rao Shankhapan Walkar | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 16 December 1971 |
| 52 | AVM | Cecil Vivian Parker | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 17 December 1971 |
| 53 | Air Cmde | Harcharan Singh Manget | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 17 December 1971 |
| 54 | AVM | Madhavendra Banerji | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 17 December 1971 |
| 55 | Maj | Malkiat Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 17 December 1971 |
| 56 | Gp Capt | Man Mohan Bir Singh Talwar | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily | 17 December 1971 |
| 57 | Air Cmde | Ramesh Sakharam Benegal | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 17 December 1971 |
| 58 | 2nd Lt. | Shamsher Singh Samra | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 17 December 1971 |
| 59 | L/Nt | Shangara Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 17 December 1971 |
| 60 | L/Hav | Dil Bahadur Chettri | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 21 December 1971 |
| 61 | Rear Adm | Santosh Kumar Gupta | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 21 December 1971 |
| 62 | Brig | Vijay Kumar Berry | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 28 December 1971 |
| 63 | Air Chief Marshal | Swaroop Krishna Kaul | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 30 December 1971 |
| 64 | Sub | Nar Bahadur Chhetri | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 31 December 1971 |
| 65 | Col | Dharam Vir Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 1 January 1972 |
| 66 | Brig | Sant Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 2 January 1972 |
| 67 | Maj | Daljit Singh Narang | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 20 January 1972 |
* Vir Chakra
Recipients
| S. no. | Rank | Name | Branch | Award Date | Awarded for |
| 01 | Adm | Laxminarayan Ramdass | Indian Navy | 1 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| 02 | Subedar | Gurdev Singh Hans | Indian Army | 4 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| 03 | Maj | Nanjappa K P | Indian Army | 5 December 1971 | Battle of Daudkandi |
| 04 | Lt Col | Raj Singh | Indian Army | 15 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| 05 | Major | PK Sharma | Indian Army | 6 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| 06 | Captain | Jatinder Kumar | Indian Army | 6 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| 07 | Col | Gopal Krishna Trivedi | Indian Army | 11 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| 08 | Lt Col | Satish Nambiar | Indian Army | 11 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| 09 | Air Cmde | Jasjit Singh | Indian Air Force | 17 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| 10 | Grenadier | Rafiq Khan | Indian Army | 19 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| 11 | Vice Adm | Arun Prakash | Indian Navy | 21 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| 12 | Squadron Leader | M A Ganapathy | Indian Air force | 1972 | Boyra Encounter (1971) |
|- | 13 | 2/LT | David A Devadasan | Indian Army - 1 MAHAR | Battle of Harar Kalan | 10/11 December 1971

## Pakistan

* Nishan-i-Haider
Recipients of the Nishan-E-Haider:
* Major Muhammad Akram (posthumously)
* Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas (posthumously)
* Major Shabbir Sharif (posthumously)
* Sarwar Muhammad Hussain (posthumously)
* Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz (posthumously)