Kargil Vijay Diwas: India pays tribute to 1999 war heroes
Commemorating 23 years of the Kargil Vijay Diwas on Tuesday, the Indian Army paid rich tributes to the soldiers who lost their lives in the 1999 Kargil War against Pakistan at Ladakh's Drass War Memorial. Moreover, events have been organized across India, including at Delhi's National War Memorial, to pay homage to the brave souls who laid down their lives for the country.
Why does this story matter?
In 1999, India defeated Pakistan in a border conflict at Kargil as the result of an extensive "Operation Vijay." The Indian Army fought battles above the altitude of about 18,000 feet in the Drass, Kaksar, Batalik, and Turtuk sectors of Kargil to evict Pakistani intruders and recaptured its posts within three months. More than 500 Indian soldiers lost their lives in the war.
Tribute to soldiers at Drass War Memorial
The Indian Army on Tuesday paid tribute to Kargil War martyrs by organizing a wreath-laying ceremony at Drass War Memorial. It was attended by senior army officials, civil administration, and gallantry awardees and their families. A wreath-laying ceremony was also held at the Balidan Stambh in Jammu J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha paid homage to the martyrs on the eve of Kargil Vijay Diwas.
Watch: Wreath-laying ceremony at Drass
'We remember their sacrifices with a sense of gratitude'
"The entire nation is bowing down to the valor and victory of the Indian Army. Through Kargil Vijay Diwas, we remember their sacrifices with a sense of gratitude," said Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, in Drass on Tuesday.
Respects paid at Delhi's National War Memorial
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has paid tribute to the slain soldiers in a wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial in Delhi. The three armed services chiefs, Army chief General Manoj Pande, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, and Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, also paid homage to the soldiers at the ceremony. "Their act of valor...will remain etched forever," Singh had stated.
Rajnath Singh at National War Memorial
Armed forces chiefs pay homage
President Murmu, Prime Minister Modi pay tributes
The newly elected President of India, Droupadi Murmu, took to Twitter to pay her respects to the martyrs. "I bow to all the brave soldiers who laid down their lives to protect Mother India," she wrote. PM Narendra Modi also tweeted, "My salute to all the brave sons of the country who achieve the height of valor in the defense of the motherland (sic)."
