The 25th Anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas

All said and done, the Kargil War stands out as the proud symbol of Indian Identity and Indian Unity while confronting an adverse situation imposed by the evil, unfair, and unjust actions of India’s Enemy.

To commemorate 25 years of Kargil victory, Indian Air Force is celebrating ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas Rajat Jayanti’ at Air Force Station Sarsawa from 12 Jul to 26 Jul 24, honoring the brave hearts who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation. I celebrate Sarsawa for launching our successful military operation (Operation Eagle) in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the Bangladesh Ops of 1971 apart from the opportunity to conduct the parachute training while I served in Establishment 22, Vikas Regiment, Special Frontier Force. 26th July is an important date in my memory for I joined the Indian Army Medical Corps at Lucknow on this date in 1970. Sarsawa lives in my memory for I served in Sarsawa to support parachute training and for Bangladesh Ops of 1971, the deployment to the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The Bofors 155mm howitzers played a remarkable role in the Kargil War. I know the Indian Army Chief who purchased the Bofors Guns that played a major role in the Kargil War of 1999. General Krishnaswamy Sundarji, PVSM (28 April 1928 – 8 February 1999), was the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1986 to 1988. He was the last former British Indian Army officer to command the Indian Army. I served under his Command when he was the General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of the First Armoured Division between 1976-78.

I commemorate the Victory in Kargil War of 1999 to acknowledge the fact of Special Frontier Force’s participation in this herculean war effort.

Kargil Vijay Diwas: The 25th Anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas will be celebrated across the country on Friday, July 26, 2024.  The Indian armed forces defeated attempts by Pakistan to capture strategic heights in Kargil in 1999. The military action to evict the enemy occupier was named ‘Operation Vijay’. It was on July 26, 1999, Indian Army had declared successful culmination of ‘Operation Vijay’, declaring a victory after nearly three-month-long battles against Pakistan on the icy heights of Kargil. India had lost 527 soldiers in the war.

The nation is remembering its war heroes and paying tributes to Martyrs on Kargil Vijay Diwas. As many as 527 soldiers from the Indian Armed Forces lost their lives during the war.  The Kargil Vijay Diwas not only embarks upon India’s win but also pays homage to the fallen heroes who fought valiantly for the nation, and sacrificed their lives to make ‘Operation Vijay’ a success.

The occasion commemorates the glorious victory of the Indian armed forces against the Pakistan Army intruders in the Kargil, Drass and Batalik sectors in 1999.