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
Nishanth Ramkumar, New Horizon Gurukul (Class 1 D)
2022 at 5:18 pmThanks to Honourpoint for the great learning on the story of the Kargil War. We live happy and free from any outside disturbances because of our brave soldiers. My family and I proudly salute the bravery and selflessness of all our soldiers who sacrificed their lives to keep us safe. We can learn many things from our brave soldiers such as discipline, hard work, punctuality, dedication, determination, and a lot more. My heart is filled with respect and love for the brave deeds of the soldiers and their sacrifices. Jai Hind!
M A Arpita
2022 at 9:07 pmThank you for protecting us from our enemies and keeping us safe. A big salute to all the fallen soldiers. I am sad for the price that you had to pay. You will always be in my heart. Jai Hind!
Aditi Suresh
Class: 2F
School: New Horizon Gurukul, Bengaluru
Anirudh Kanduri, 4th standard, section - I, New Horizon Gurukul, Bangalore
2022 at 11:02 pmRespected and Dear Courageous Warriors and Men of Steel, My mind is now without fear and You made me to hold my head high. Because of your esteemed sacrifice, our Mother Land is not broken into fragments. Because of Your tireless unmatched combating skills and bravery, we are all marching with joy in the Heaven of Freedom, that is Bharat.
Jaya Jaya Priya Bharata Janayatri Divyadhatri
Jaya Jaya Priya Sainika Jaya Priya Rashtra Vijetha
S.Shravan Class 2-D New Horizon Gurukul
2022 at 7:23 amI salute you all for your sacrifices, for your bravery and for protecting our Nation. Thanks to all veterans.
Harshil Sunku
2022 at 11:39 amHarshil Sunku Class 2-G New Horizon Gurukul
I respect and salute all our soldiers who are brave and protect us all throughout the day and night. Let us remember their fights and toil forever.
Vande Matharam
Jai Hind
Ira Stuti-2D, New Horizon Gurukul
2022 at 12:26 pmCapt. Vikram Batra, the whole country is indebted to the supreme sacrifice you made to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the nation. You will be remembered as a real life super hero. We kids will always see you as role model for our life. The story of your bravery gives us goosebumps. To me, you are a real super hero and I salute to your bravery and supreme sacrifice.
“Ye dil maange more”
Jai Hind
Ira Stuti, 2D
New Horizon Gurukul
Ashmit Senapati, 4G, New Horizon Gurukul
2022 at 12:48 pmI Salute Major Mohit Saxena for his consistent gallantry in the face of enemy during capture of Lone Hill in the Drass sector during Kargil war. Your act of bravery would inspire generations to come.
Jai Hind!!
Aditri Aaradhya Moharana, 2J, New Horizon Gurukul
2022 at 9:40 pmI Salute all the Brave Soldiers who fought to protect us from the intruders and keep our Nation Safe. They never gave up because Nation always comes first for them.
Capt. Vikram Batra, You are the Brave Heart. I see you as my Role Model. I desire to follow your path and serve the nation.
Jai Hind
Aditri Aaradhya Moharana, 2J
New Horizon Gurukul
Rishaan Budagala
2022 at 9:48 pmNaik Digendra Kumar (Maha Vir Chakra) (2 RAJ RIF)
He was awarded Maha Vir Chakra, India’s second-highest military decoration in 1999 (Independence Day).
He was the commander of the Light Machine Gun Group during his company’s assault on the Tololing feature on Drass Sector
He was hit by a bullet in his left arm. After his injury, he continued firing with one hand and brought down effective and accurate Light Machine Gunfire on the enemy.
After being seriously injured, it was his bravery and courage that the Assault Group was able to capture the objective.
We salute such great hero who fought the battle with bravery and courage and made India proud.
Regards,
Rishaan Budagala,
2D, New Horizon Gurukul
Rishaan Budagala
2022 at 9:54 pmA Kargil War Hero Naik Digendra Kumar (Maha Vir Chakra) (2 RAJ RIF)
Aditri Aaradhya Moharana,2J, New Horizon Gurukul
2022 at 10:27 pmI Salute all the Brave Soldiers who fought to protect us from the intruders and keep our Nation Safe. They never gave up because Nation always comes first for them.
Capt. Vikram Batra, You are the Brave Heart. I see you as my Role Model. I desire to follow your path and serve the nation.
Jai Hind
Aditri Aaradhya Moharana, 2J
New Horizon Gurukul