Sandeep Chaudhary awarded Home Minister’s Medal for Pahalgam terror probe

National Investigation Agency (NIA) Deputy Inspector General Sandeep Chaudhary has been awarded the Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak for 2026 in the investigation category. The award recognizes his leadership as the Chief Investigating Officer in the probe into the April 22, 2025, terror attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in 26 deaths.

The investigation led to the filing of chargesheets in a Special NIA Court, naming Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and Pakistani handler Sajid Jatt among the accused. The filings also identified local facilitators and terrorists involved in the incident, invoking the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Chaudhary, a 2012-batch IPS officer, has previously received nine gallantry medals for counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir. The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the 2026 awards on Saturday, honoring 490 personnel across various categories including special operations and forensic science.