| Vir-e-Hind | |
|---|---|
| Type | Medal. |
| Awarded for | Distinguished service. |
| Presented by | Azad Hind |
| Eligibility | Soldiers of the Indische Legion, Indian National Army, and the Wehrmacht. |
| Status | Currently not existent. |
| First awarded | Second World War |
| Last awarded | Second World War |
| Total | Unknown |
| Total awarded posthumously | Unknown |
| Total recipients | Shangara Singh Mann |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Sardar-e-Jung |
| Next (lower) | Shahid-e-Bharat |
The Vir-e-Hind (Warrior of India) was a military decoration awarded by the Azad Hind Government. The award was a second class star below the award of Sardar-e-Jung. First instituted by Subhas Chandra Bose in Germany, it was later also awarded to troops of the Indian National Army in South East Asia. The award could be conferred with swords for valour in combat, and without swords for non-combat awards. At least one award was made, to Capt Shangara Singh Mann. Capt. Mann was also awarded the Sardar-e-Jung medal.
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The Tamgha-e-Bahaduron was a military decoration awarded by the Azad Hind Government. First instituted by Subhas Chandra Bose in Germany, it was later also awarded to troops of the Indian National Army in South East Asia. The award could be conferred with swords for valour in combat, and without swords for non-combat awards.
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Shangara Singh Mann was an officer of the Indian National Army during World War II. He served as a captain and company commander during some of the earliest fighting against the British Indian Army in Assam, for which he was awarded the Sardar-e-Jung, the second-highest decoration bestowed by Azad Hind for valour in combat, and the Vir-e-Hind medal. Subhas Chandra Bose himself gave Singh Mann his medals in Rangoon. He was captured by the British and held in a prison in Multan from January 1945 to February 1946. Soon after he was released and he returned to his family in the Punjab, his life was disrupted by the partition of India. In 1959, he settled in Vadodara, Gujarat, where he remained as of 2001. He died aged 113.
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With the inception of Company rule in India by the East India Company in 1757, the tradition of giving medals also began. Campaign medals and awards were given to soldiers who fought in the Company's presidency armies and after 1895 to the British Indian Army and also the Imperial Service Troops of the princely states. Alongside them awards were given to the personnel of Royal Indian Navy and of Royal Indian Air Force with its incorporation in 1932.
The company's powers were removed in 1858 after the Indian Mutiny, and the British Crown assumed direct control of India. During the British Raj, new medals and orders were established and were awarded for the services to the Crown and the Indian Empire by Europeans and Indians of British India and the princely states. After 1914, Indians also became eligible for British Honours. The following is a list of orders, decorations and medals related to British in India:
