Kargil Vijay Diwas – 1999 War
Kargil Vijay Diwas – 1999 War
Commemoration Day: 26 July
Operation: Operation Vijay
Martyrs: 533
Awards: 4 PVC, 9 MVC, 27 VrC
Kargil Vijay Diwas – 1999 War
Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on 26th July every year to commemorate the success of Operation Vijay, under which on this day, in 1999 India successfully took command of all the high outposts in the Kargil region which were being held by the Pakistani intruders.
In the winter months of 1998 and early 1999, militants in the guise of Mujahideen were covertly trained by the Pakistani armed forces and sent to the Indian side of the LOC. They captured some of the unguarded posts in the region and aimed to seize control over Kargil sector, which would enable them to cut off the supply route between Srinagar and Ladakh and take control of the Siachin region. The intrusion was detected in the month of May and patrols were sent to check and control them. By the time India realized Pakistan’s hand behind the infiltrations, they had captured many posts in the Drass, Kaksar and Mushkoh regions. Operation Vijay was then launched by the government to clear the area from infiltrators.
The air force too launched a mission called Safed Sagar to help in the mobilization of the army. The army set out to recapture the areas along the national highway 1D, which was the main supply route between Ladakh and Kashmir. The Indian army attacked the intruders who held well-fortified positions in the Tololing region. The 2nd Rajputana Rifles along with the 18 Grenadiers laid out a three-week assault that culminated in the recapture of the Tololing region, claiming 23 Indian lives in the process. The Indian army had captured a strategically important position and it took them a further six days to clear out the enemy troops from the nearby areas and take control of the Drass sector. The Indian troops moved forward by capturing the strategic peaks and advanced towards Tiger Hills. Tiger Hills was the highest peak in the Kargil region. Treacherous terrain and well-entrenched enemy in the region posed difficulties to the army. Many battles were fought between June and July to capture strategic locations that would facilitate the capture of Tiger hills. On July 4, 1999 the 18 Grenadiers captured the coveted hills after a fierce battle that lasted about 11 hours at the peak of Tiger Hills. This was a very important turn of events for the Indian troops and victory was in sight for them.
The then Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif sought help from the United States of America, without much avail. He then agreed to withdraw Pakistani troops from the Indian side of the LOC, owing to International pressure. India carried its final assault in the last week of July and cleared the Drass subsector from infiltrators entirely by July 26. The battle had been won and operation Vijay was deemed successful.
The Kargil war victory was made possible by the heroic efforts of our troops, with various gallantry awards winners, among them, four Param Vir Chakra, nine Maha vir Chakra and several Vir Chakra winners, setting new benchmarks for bravery and service to the nation. The war had large number of causalities from both sides and India lost 527 of its brave soldiers in this campaign. We salute and remember the sacrifices of these valiant souls of India on this day.
There were three major phases to the Kargil War. First, Pakistan infiltrated forces into the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir and occupied strategic locations enabling it to bring NH1 within range of its artillery fire. The next stage consisted of India discovering the infiltration and mobilizing forces to respond to it. The final stage involved major battles by Indian and Pakistani forces resulting in India recapturing most of the territories held by Pakistani forces and the subsequent withdrawal of Pakistani forces back across the Line of Control after international pressure
Occupation by Pakistan
Date(1999) | Event |
---|---|
03-May | Pakistani intrusion in Kargil reported by local shepherds |
05-May | Indian Army patrol sent up; Five Indian soldiers captured and tortured to death. |
09-May | Heavy shelling by Pakistan Army damages ammunition dump in Kargil |
10-May | Infiltrations first noticed in Dras, Kaksar, and Mushkoh sectors |
Mid-May | Indian Army moves in more troops from Kashmir Valley to Kargil Sector |
26-May | IAF launches air strikes against infiltrators |
27-May | IAF loses two fighters – MiG-21 and MiG-27;. Flt Lt Nachiketa taken POW |
28-May | IAF MI-17 shot down by Pakistan; four air crew dead |
01-Jun | Pakistan steps up attacks; bombs NH 1A |
05-Jun | Indian Army releases documents recovered from three Pakistani soldiers indicating Pakistan’s involvement |
06-Jun | Indian Army launches major offensive in Kargil |
09-Jun | Indian Army re-captures two key positions in the Batalic sector |
11-Jun | India releases intercepts of conversation between Pakistani Army Chief Gen Pervez Musharraf, while on a visit to China and Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Aziz Khan in Rawalpindi, as proof of Pakistani Army’s involvement |
13-Jun | Indian Army secures Tololing in Dras |
15-Jun | U.S. President Bill Clinton, in a telephonic conversation, asks Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to pull out from Kargil |
29-Jun | Indian Army captures two vital posts: Point 5060 and Point 5100 near Tiger Hill |
02-Jul | Indian Army launches three-pronged attack in Kargil |
04-Jul | Indian Army recaptures Tiger Hill after an 11-hour battle |
05-Jul | Indian Army takes control of Dras. Sharif announces Pakistani army’s withdrawal from Kargil following his meeting with Clinton |
07-Jul | India recaptures Jubar Heights in Batalik |
11-Jul | Pakistan begins pullout; India captures key peaks in Batalik |
14-Jul | Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declares Operation Vijay a success. Government sets condition for talks with Pakistan |
26-Jul | Kargil conflict officially comes to an end. Indian Army announces complete eviction of Pakistani intruders. |
Param Vir Chakra | Maha Vir Chakra | Vir Chakra |
---|---|---|
Capt. Vikram Batra, 13 JAK Rifles (Posthumous) | Maj. Vivek Gupta, 2 Raj Rif(Posthumous) | Col Umesh Singh Bawa, |
Lt. Manoj Kumar Pandey, 1/11 GR(Posthumous) | Maj. Padmapani Acharya, 2 Raj Rif(Posthumous) | Col Lalit Rai, |
Grenedier Yogender Singh Yadav, 18 Grenadiers | Capt. N Kenguruse, 2 Raj Rif(Posthumous) | Col M.B. Ravindranath |
Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, 13 JAK Rifles | Naik Digendra Kumar, 2 Rajputana Rifles | Lt Col Yogesh Kumar Joshi, |
Maj. Rajesh Singh Adhikari, 18 Grenadiers(Posthumous) | Maj S. Vijay Bhaskar, | |
Lt. Balwan Singh, 18 Grenadiers | Maj Deepak Rampal, | |
Capt. Anuj Nayyar, 17 Jat(Posthumous) | Maj Vikas Vohra, | |
Lt. Keshing Clifford Nongrum, 12 JAK LI(Posthumous) | Maj Amrinder Singh Kasana, | |
Major Sonam Wangchuk, Ladakh Scouts | Maj Rajesh Sah, | |
Maj Mohit Saxena, | ||
Maj M. Saravanan (posthumous), | ||
Capt Shyamal Sinha. | ||
Capt Amol Kalia (posthumous), | ||
Capt Sachin Annarao Nimbalkar, | ||
Capt Sanjeev Singh. | ||
Capt Haneef Uddin (posthumous). | ||
Capt Sumeet Roy (posthumous), | ||
Capt Maridhvodan Veetil Sooraj, | ||
Capt Jintu Gogoi (posthumous), | ||
Capt R.Jery Prem Raj (posthumous), | ||
Lt Vijyant Thapar (posthumous), | ||
Sub Chhering Stobdan. | ||
Sub Bahadur Singh (posthumous), | ||
Sub Lobzang Chhotak (posthumous), | ||
Sub Randhir Singh (posthumous), | ||
Sub Bhawar Lal (posthumous), |
Source
- https://en.wikipedia.org
- http://www.thehindu.com
- http://www.indianarmy.nic.in
Disclaimer
Vanita Singh
2023 at 3:12 amWith July 26 this year marking the 24th anniversary of the Kargil War, and inspiration from General Ian Cardozo’s poem “Kargil 1999”, I would like to share the links to the similarly titled march composed and performed by me to pay tribute to all our Kargil heroes at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te2aUvZPvEc
Kargil 1999 March © Ian Cardozo & Vanita Singh
Ekta Yadav
2023 at 5:25 pmFor the most noble souls. Sacrificing their lives for the nation.
We are forever indebted to you..
Thank you..
Jai Hind!
Aashi Jain
2023 at 11:02 amTo the Brave Martyrs,
In the face of adversity, your sacrifice shines as a beacon of courage.
Our nation is indebted to your bravery.
Ashuli Hriiyio
2023 at 10:18 amTo my proud Father sepoy K Ashuli VrC . 1naga . Daddy you have been a role model to many people who joined the armed force. My highest respect to you and im your proud son . Keep on guiding me from above .
Vanita Singh
2024 at 10:38 pmWith inspiration from General Ian Cardozo’s poem “Kargil 1999”, I would like to share the links to my recent Hindi version of the ballad composed and performed by me to pay tribute to all our Kargil heroes at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr_7S3Eb1yU
कारगिल © वनीता सिंह
Thirumalai Raj M
2024 at 6:28 amOne Throttle, For “Seva Parmo Dharm “UNIT – am doing an Patriotic & Tribute ride for our Martyr’s soldiers of our Armed forces , planning to all over India,my first mission is to complete Tamilnadu and then beat by states ..long live soldiers . Jaihind