Srinagar, August 2
The peaks and slopes where the Indian troops confronted Pakistani intruders and evicted them in a bloody confrontation six years ago in July 1999, presented a colourful sight.
The entire stretch from Tiger Hill to Tololing in the Dras sector was lit up with decorations glowing in the dusk, marking the sixth anniversary of the concluding day of `Operation Vijay Diwas’ on July 26.
Top Army brass, journalists and the civil administration had gathered in Drass for the day-long celebrations organised by the Dras-based 8 Mountain Division in the foothills of Tololing, to pay homage to those who had sacrificed their lives.
It was in these high mountainous and treacherous barren hills that the troops succeeded in their mission with “exemplary valour and grit.” The awards conferred included three Param Vir Chakras, eight Mahavir Chakras, two Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, 40 Vir Chakras, eight Yudh Seva Medals, 118 Sena medals, one Vishisht Seva Medal, 78 Mention in Dispatches, 51 Chief of the Army Staff Commendation cards and 81 GOC-in-C Commendation cards.
Addressing the Sainik Sammelan after laying floral wreaths on the war memorial, Lt-Gen Hari Prasad, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, recalled the “heroic deeds” of officers and men.
It was here that the Indian Army “added a new chapter to its long and cherished tradition of loyalty, dauntless courage and bravery displayed by the soldiers by evicting the enemy from the heights along the line of control”, he said.
Tiger Hill, Tololing and Batra Top had become household names, which every citizen of the country recalled with great pride and honour, the General said.
The two-month-long Kargil War was equally challenging for the 1.25 lakh population of the district, with intrusion witnessed along 140 km of the LoC from PT 4875 through Tiger Hill, PT 5100, Three Pimple, PT 5060, PT 5140 and Hump in Drass and Batalik sectors near Kargil.
The residents of the areas fought shoulder to shoulder with the troops, losing nearly a dozen civilian lives. But now they feel neglected both at the hands of the Army and the civil administration and devoid of various facilities.
When the celebrations at the War memorial were going on, it was a distant dream for the 11,000-plus population of Dras to have a view of the occasion. Many of them belonging to neighbouring villages had overall glimpses of the occasion from a distance.
Admitting that the residents deserved to be present on the occasion, GOC of 8 Mountain Division, Maj-General V.K. Ahluwlia, said it would be taken care of in future. The residents claim that they had extended, which they continue to do, a helping hand to the troops but were “unfortunately” kept away from the event of commemoration.
They also resent the raising of the war memorial at Bulbul Bagh in Kargil, the district headquarters, 60 km away. They argue that Tiger Hill, Tololing and other major points of confrontation with the Pak intruders were in the Dras area.
“If the war memorial was here in Dras we would also remember those sisters and brothers who lost their lives during the war”, said Mrs Taja Bano, a resident of Dras.
For Saleem Ahmad, an employee at the local Tourism Department office, a war memorial in the town would have been of great help to the local economy. “There is nothing else for tourist attraction”, except for the fame attached to Tiger Hill and Tololing hills he comments.
But Asghar Karbalai, Chief Executive Councillor of Kargil, is of the opinion that Operation Vijay Diwas should be celebrated at the district headquarters, Kargil. The war was fought in Batalik and Dras sectors, equidistant from the district headquarters.
— To be concluded
