Western Command commemorates 78th Raising Day at Chandimandir
Western Command commemorated its 78th Raising Day at the Chandimandir Military Station on Sunday. A wreath-laying ceremony to pay tributes to soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice was among the events organised to mark the occasion.
The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Katiyar, along with 11 former chiefs of the command paid floral tributes at the Veer Smriti War Memorial in Chandimandir.
Conveying his greetings to all ranks and families of Western Command, Lt Gen Katiyar stressed on the need to uphold the virtues of ‘Naam, Namak, Nishan’ and said the Western Command remained unwavering in its resolve to safeguard the western front and achieve a decisive victory in any future conflict. He further stated that as a responsible organisation, the command was also actively involved in realising the dream of ‘Sashakt Bharat’ with its contributions towards nation-building.
The command, then called the Delhi and East Punjab Command, was raised on September 15, 1947 at New Delhi in the crucible of adversity and forged on the anvil of one of the most momentous and heart-rending transmigrations of human population in the two new nations of India and Pakistan.
Given the situation during partition, it was decided to have a mobile HQ on a train, which is well-preserved and now standing at a museum in Chandimandir. The command got renamed as Western Command on January 20, 1948, and was directly responsible for controlling the operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Before raising of the Northern Command at Udhampur in 1984, Western Command was also responsible for the entire borders of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
As the command reflects on its rich history, it is also looking ahead at the future. Modernisation efforts are underway to ensure that the force remains well-equipped to face the current and emerging challenges. Focus is on leveraging new technologies, enhancing training standards and achieving synergy with other arms and services.
