SRINAGAR: Deputy Inspector General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Sandeep Chaudhary, who led the investigation into the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, has been awarded the Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation for 2026.
The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the awardees on Saturday, recognising Chaudhary in the investigation category for his contribution to the probe.
A 2012-batch IPS officer of the AGMUT cadre, Chaudhary served as the Chief Investigating Officer in the April 22, 2025 attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
The NIA took over the investigation following the attack and subsequently filed a chargesheet against several accused, including Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives Hafiz Saeed and Sajid Jatt.
Before joining the NIA, Chaudhary served as Senior Superintendent of Police in Shopian, Anantnag and Srinagar, overseeing several counter-terrorism operations.
His service record includes nine gallantry medals for his role in anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir. He has also received commendation discs from the Chief of Army Staff, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command, the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command and the Directors General of the CRPF, J&K Police, Bureau of Police Research and Development and NIA.
In 2021, an operation led by Chaudhary resulted in the arrest of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Syed Naveed Mushtaq alias Naveed Babu, along with then Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh.
The medal is formally known as the Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak.
