Neeraj Chopra Conferred Honorary Lieutenant Colonel Rank In Territorial Army, Joins Elite List

Neeraj Chopra has been conferred honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army. The appointment, according to The Gazette of India, a weekly public journal and an authorised legal document of the Government of India, came into effect on April 16.  “No 3 (E) dated 9th May 2025 in exercise of the powers conferred by Para -31 of the Territorial Army Regulations, 1948, the president is pleased to confer on Ex- Sub Maj Neeraj Chopra, PVSM, Padma Shri, VSM, Village & Post Office Khandra, Panipat, Haryana with effect from 16 April, 2025,” a statement from Major General GS Choudhry, Joint Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, read.

Before Neeraj, former Indian cricket team captains MS Dhoni and Kapil Dev were also conferred honorary ranks in the Territorial Army. 2008 Bejing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra was also conferred an honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army in 2011. Sachin Tendulkar was honored with the rank of Group Captain in the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2010.

Neeraj was earlier enrolled as a Junior Commissioned Officer in Naib Subedar rank in the Indian Army on August 26, 2016. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2018 and the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2021 for his meritorious service. He was also subsequently promoted to the rank of Subedar in the same year.

After being awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, in 2022, he was promoted to the rank of Subedar Major two years later.

Neeraj Chopra will compete in the 71st ORLEN Janusz Kusociński Memorial event in Chorzów, Poland, on May 23 following the postponement of next week's NC Classic in Bengaluru.

Chopra was slated to compete in the NC Classic — an event he