Three Army personnel and an NSG commando were decorated with the Kirti Chakra, two of them posthumously, for their heroic deeds in combating militants.

President A P J Abdul Kalam conferred the nation's second highest gallantry award on Tuesday to Naib Trilok Singh [Rashtriya Rifles] and posthumously to Major U Jaitly and Naib Subedar Dev Bahadur Thapa [Gurkha Rifles] for their deeds against militants in Jammu and Kashmir.

For heroic deeds against Pakistani terrorists during the attack on the Akshardham temple in Gujarat, Commando Surjan Singh of the National Security Guards was also decorated with the Kirti Chakra. Singh was not present to receive the award.

Awards were given to a total of 66 services personnel at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and several Cabinet ministers were present for the ceremony.

Twenty-seven of them received Shaurya Chakras, 10 posthumously, including two civilians --- Bachitter Singh of Jammu and Kashmir and R S Srinivasan of Madhya Pradesh.

The Shaurya Chakra awards were given mostly for gallantry in counter insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and northeast.

The President also decorated 12 senior armed forces officers with the nation's highest peacetime award, the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, for distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

The recipients included AOC-in-C of the Western Air Command Air Marshal Adi Rustomji Ghandhi, Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Ashok Chaki, Signal Officer in Chief Army Headquarters Lieutenant General Dharam Prakash Sayal and Adjutant General at Army Headquarters Lieutenant General A Natarajan.