New Delhi, December 16
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee today led the nation in celebrating the Vijay Divas by paying homage to the
martyrs who laid down their lives during the war for liberation of East Pakistan at the Amar Jawan Jyoti here which was also thrown open to the public for the first time to pay homage.
Besides the Defence Minister, the three Service Chiefs also laid wreaths at India Gate in remembrance of those who made supreme sacrifice for India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. India is celebrating Vijay Divas in a major way after almost six years after the two countries engaged in the Kargil War.
All these years India had been celebrating this day as Kargil Vijay Divas and that too on a low key for the sacrifice made by the soldiers during the Kargil war and then later during the stand-off with Pakistan following the attack on Parliament in 2001.
As part of the celebrations, a special exhibition was organised by the Ministry of Defence at the India Gate lawns and a cultural programme was presented by NCC cadets.
Aircraft such as the MiG-21 and the Sabre Killer Gnat, which saw their first operations in the 1971 war have been put on display. It is well known that a Gnat pilot, Flgn Offr Nirmal Jit Sekhon was awarded Param Vir Chakra for the 1971 operations.
For the first time the Amar Jawan Jyoti, the symbol of country’s respect to the brave soldiers who laid down their lives protecting India’s borders, was also opened up for the general public.
