Army remembers Kargil martyrs at Drass ceremony

Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh paid tributes to the martyrs of the Kargil War or the  armed conflict between India and Pakistan  between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LOC).  

 The ceremony is attended by a large number of dignitaries of the Army and civil administration as well as gallantry award winners of the conflict and families of many martyrs.

The Indian Army is preparing extensively to honour the martyrs of the Kargil War of 1999 in a series of solemn ceremonies this year.

The primary event is marking the 15th anniversary of the Victory at War Memorial Drass from Friday to Saturday.

The Conflict was fought in the summer of 1999 to evict Pakistani regular forces who had intruded and occupied winter vacated posts on the Indian side of the Line of Control, violating an unwritten agreement. The operation cost the Indian Army hundreds of young lives, in whose memory the commemorative function is held every year.

On 26 July, top officers of the Army, martyrs’ families, war heroes, political representatives and the civil administration shall participate in the commemorative wreath laying ceremony at the Kargil War Memorial located at the base of the Tololing feature, the scene of one of the fiercest battles of the operation.
 
The event is a purposeful attempt by the Army every year to remember its martyrs and solemnly honour their memories and to remind the Nation of the constant sacrifices the men and women in uniform make for the citizens of India.