Kargil Diwas 2023: Several event and parades are organised on this day in honour of soldiers.
Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year to commemorate India's victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War in 1999. The day honours the bravery and sacrifice made by Indian soldiers during the intense war. The successful operation against Pakistan was named Operation Vijay. Today, it's the 24th anniversary of the Kargil War. Honouring the soldier on Kargil Diwas 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X that they will "always remain an inspiration for the countrymen". "I bow down and salute him from the bottom of my heart," he added.
History of Kargil Diwas
The armed conflict between India and Pakistan started after the Pakistani soldiers crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and entered Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir (now part of the Union Territory of Ladakh). Known as the Kargil War, it continued from May to July 1999.
Significance of the day
It was on this day 21 years ago that the Indian Army recaptured all the Indian posts in Kargil that had been occupied by Pakistan's army. Since then, July 26 has been observed annually to commemorate the sacrifices made by soldiers in this war.
Captain Vikram Batra, Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey, Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari, Major Vivek Gupta and others were among the 527 brave soldiers who gave their lives for the country.
Several event and parades are organised on this day in honour of these soldiers. The main ceremony is at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass.
Ceremonies on the day
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is in Drass in the Kargil district of Ladakh. He laid a wreath at the War Memorial in memory of the soldiers who died in Kargil.
Army Chief General Manoj Pande, too, paid floral tributes to the fallen jawans at the Kargil War Memorial while Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar also laid a wreath in memory of the soldiers.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, laid a wreath at the Kargil War Memorial in tribute to the fallen soldiers in the Kargil conflict.