Tears rolled down the faces of family members of the soldiers at the sight of memorials unveiled on Saturday for their loved ones who laid down their lives to regain control of the rugged mountainous territory lost to insurgents backed by Pakistan 10 years ago.
“It was a dream for us to visit the place and pray for our son,” Neiselie Kenguriise, father of Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguriise who sacrificed his life when he led a platoon to re-capture Tololing, said.
As they took a glimpse of Tololing ridgeline, tears welled in the eyes of Neiselie, his wife Dinuo and daughter.
Praising his junior Captain Vikram Batra for his bravery in the battle front in Drass sector where he laid down his life, Colonel Gurpreet Singh, Commanding Officer of 13 Jammu and Kashmir (JAK) rifles, said his unit won many awards.
“Our unit 13 JAK rifles achieved the title of brave among the bravest as it won two PVCs in Kargil battle”, Col Singh, who was then a Major, said.
Captain Batra and Lance Naik Sanjay Kumar had won PVCs for their gallantry and both belonged to 13 JAK rifles.
As many as 533 jawans and army officers laid down their lives while re-capturing 13 hill points.
During the two-day “Operation Vijay” celebrations, all re-captured heights would be lit up. Photo exhibition, beating retreat and felicitation of war awardees will be the other highlights of the programme to be held in Drass and Kargil areas of the Ladakh region.
Though Defence Minister A K Antony is not scheduled to take part in the events, Army Chief Deepak Kapoor will be in Kargil on Sunday. Agencies
