New Delhi, October 20
The Ministry of Defence and the armed forces today, for the first time, officially organised an honour ceremony for soldiers who were killed or had participated in the 1962 war with China.

The military defeat at the hands of China, despite being a shameful chapter in the Indian history, had Indian soldiers displaying flashes of brilliance, grit and bravery and they deserved to be honoured, sources said.

Observers feel the MoD and the forces have shown a kind of maturity and confidence of putting the war behind and relying on today’s strengths. The decision to honour martyrs appears to have less to do with the 50th anniversary of the war and more with the fact that as a nation, India appears to have dealt with the trauma.

Defence Minister AK Antony led the Services’ top brass at the solemn ceremony under the arch of the India Gate this morning. Besides Antony, Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, Army Chief General Bikram Singh, Naval Chief

Admiral DK Joshi and Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne laid wreaths.

It was on this day in 1962 at 5.15 am that the Chinese had opened up a full-scale attack at the Namka Chu river, north of Tawang, in Arunachal Pradesh and simultaneous attacks at Walong in the extreme North-East and Ladakh. This attack was preceded by skirmishes all along the disputed McMohan Line.

The honour ceremony was conducted around 7 am today, almost coinciding with the time when the first line of defence of the then ill-equipped Indian Army had crumbled in 1962.

Minutes after paying homage, Antony, in response to a question as to why did it take 50 years for the government to honour soldiers and martyrs of the 1962 war, said “Nothing changed. This is the 50th year and we thought this is time the nation must pay homage to the officers and jawans who lost lives to protect our border.”