Rajnath Singh honours Kargil heroes in Ladakh on Operation Vijay anniversary
The Army on Saturday held a Shaurya Sandhya at the Kargil War Memorial in Dras to honour the Indian soldiers who died in the 1999
The Army on Saturday held a Shaurya Sandhya at the Kargil War Memorial in Dras to honour the Indian soldiers who died in the 1999 Kargil conflict, as part of a two-day commemoration marking the 27th anniversary of Operation Vijay. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took part in the event and handed a ceremonial kalash (sacred metal pot) to some family members of the personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice in the war. Read Full Story The programme began on the eve of Kargil Vijay Diwas and will conclude on Sunday with a wreath-laying ceremony and the flag-in of the Shaurya Vijay Yatra from the War Memorial in Delhi to the Kargil War Memorial in Dras. Singh, who arrived in Dras on Saturday, will be the chief guest at the Shradhanjali Samaroh on Sunday. Saturday evening's ceremony was attended by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, other senior Army officers and several military veterans.
A band of the Ladakh Scouts played patriotic songs, including AR Rahman's "Maa Tujhe Salaam", after which guests lit candles near the obelisk of the main memorial. As night fell, hundreds of neatly placed stones in rows in the Veer Bhoomi cenotaph zone were illuminated. Earlier in the day, the Army held several events to mark the anniversary of Operation Vijay, which falls on July 26. The two-day commemoration began with Yudh Sansmaran at the Lamochen viewpoint overlooking the Kargil battlefield. Officials said the occasion marks the victory in which Indian soldiers, braving snow-clad peaks and firing by Pakistani troops, reclaimed the heights of Kargil. The event opened with a 33-minute video on the Kargil war and India's triumph under Operation Vijay, followed by a 17-minute commemorative clip honouring 40 Kargil bravehearts whose next of kin will be present.
Major General Amit Prakash Singh, General Officer Commanding, Forever in Operations Division, senior Army officers, Kargil war veterans, Veer Naris and Veer Matas attended the programme. Murti Devi Dahiya, whose son, Sep Ravinder of 4 Jat unit, died in the war, said she was overcome with emotion at the event. "When I see other soldiers in uniform, I feel they are like my sons too. And standing here watching the peaks we reclaimed in the Kargil war, I feel very proud of my son and his service to the nation," she told PTI. In the afternoon, a Gauravmaya Sanskriti event was organised at Vishwanathan Stadium in Dras, with the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, in attendance. The cultural programme celebrated patriotism, India's cultural heritage, and the courage and professionalism of the Army. It included a motorcycle display by the Shwet Ashw Motorcycle Riders, a display of India's combat drone capabilities, and the participation of robotic mules.
The BriefWire