“Aye mere vatanke logon, zaraaankh me bhar lo paani

 Jo shahidhuyehainunki, zarayaadkarokurbaani…”

It is that time of the year again, the time when we commemorate the bravery of the soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces and salute their absolute sacrifice for their country in the Kargil War.

As India gets ready to pay homage to its great soldiers on the 17thKargil Diwas on 26th of July, let us take a moment to remember these war heroes and their ultimate sacrifice and some facts that we, as Indians, should know about the Kargil War.

When and why was the Kargil war fought?

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The Kargil war, which commenced on May 1999, was announced after the infiltration of Pakistani troops and Kashmiri militants into Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LOC). The intrusion into the area, that divided the Indian territory of Ladakh from the northern areas of the state, had come as a complete surprise to the Indian army and Operation Vijay was immediately launched to flush our enemies from the Kargil sector.

 

Role of The Indian Air Force

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The attack which was initially led by the Indian Army to recapture a majority of the positions on the Indian side of the LOC, were later joined by the Indian Air Force. Together, the two forces attacked the Pakistani positions and, with international diplomatic support, eventually forced withdrawal of the Pakistani forces across the LOC.

 

A Successful Mission

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The war ended on July 26th and while the war was won by India by successfully recapturing positions held by Pakistani forces and the withdrawal of Pakistani forces back across the Line of Control. While Operation Vijay was deemed successful, the war resulted in the death of hundreds of soldiers on both sides and moreover, thousands were left injured.

On 26th July, every year, Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated to honour the martyrs and the valiant soldiers who lost their lives in the war to protect India.

A number of Indian soldiers earned awards for gallantry during the campaign.

Some of the brave Indian Soldiers and heroes who served in the war:

ParamVir Chakra

  • Vikram Batra, 13 JAK Rifles -
  • Manoj Kumar Pandey, 1/11 Gorkha Rifles -
  • GrenedierYogender Singh Yadav, 18 Grenediers
  • Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, 13 JAK Rifles

 MahaVir Chakra

Maj. Vivek Gupta, 2 Rajputana Rifles

Maj. PadmapaniAcharya, 2 Rajputana Rifles

Capt. N Kenguruse, 2 Rajputana Rifles

NaikDigendra Kumar, 2 Rajputana Rifles

Maj. Rajesh Singh Adhikari, 18 Grenadiers

Lt. Balwan Singh, 18 Grenadiers

Capt. AnujNayyar, 17 Jat

Lt. Keshing Clifford Nongrum, 12 JAK Light Infantry

Major SonamWangchuk, Ladakh Scouts

 Vir Chakra

  • Col Umesh Singh Bawa,
  • Col LalitRai,
  • Col M.B. Ravindranat (posthumous),
  • Lt Col Yogesh Kumar Joshi,
  • Maj S. Vijay Bhaskar,
  • Maj Deepak Rampal,
  • MajVikasVohra,
  • MajAmrinder Singh Kasana,
  • Maj Rajesh Sah,
  • MajMohitSaxena,
  • Maj M. Saravanan (posthumous),
  • CaptAmolKalia (posthumous),
  • Capt Sachin AnnaraoNimbalkar,
  • CaptSanjeev Singh.
  • CaptHaneefUddin (posthumous).
  • CaptSumeet Roy (posthumous),
  • CaptMaridhvodanVeetilSooraj,
  • CaptJintuGogoi (posthumous),
  • JeryPrem Raj (posthumous),
  • Lt VijyantThapar (posthumous),
  • Sub ChheringStobdan.
  • Sub Bahadur Singh (posthumous),
  • Sub LobzangChhotak (posthumous),
  • Sub Randhir Singh (posthumous),
  • Sub BhawarLal (posthumous),
  • Sub Raghunath Singh

As the day draws closer, let us take a moment out of our lives to remember the heroes of the war who gave up their lives to keep the borders of our country safe and secure.

Jai Hind!

Author: Vandana Lohia

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