A soldier stands guard at the National War Memorial in Pune. A wreath-laying ceremony was held to commemorate Kargil Vijay Diwas on Sunday. (Photo: Ashish Kale)
In the wake of restrictions and precautions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a limited number of military personnel and war veterans were present at the National War Memorial for a wreath-laying ceremony to mark Kargil Vijay Diwas on Sunday.
A wreath on behalf of all ranks of the Southern Command was laid at the memorial by Lieutenant General C P Mohanty, General-Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Command. Lt Gen D S Ahuja, Chief of Staff, Southern Command headquarters, and Major General A K Hukku (Retd) also laid wreaths at the memorial.
In contrast to the annual ceremony, attended by a large number of serving and retired personnel, civilian dignitaries, and schoolchildren, this year’s ceremony was a low-key affair.
Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed on July 26 as a tribute to soldiers, who fought in the Kargil War, also known as Operation Vijay. The battle was fought at an altitude of approximately 16,000 feet in Kargil-Drass sector of Ladakh, one of the most inhospitable terrains in the world.