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Indian Army Day: Do you know whose rifle stands on the Amar Jawan Memorial in New Delhi?
Remembering our soldiers on Indian Army Day
There are few things that invoke a sense of patriotism as much as the thought of your nation’s army. January 15 is celebrated in India as Army Day. With parades and other military shows in New Delhi as well as at all army headquarters, the Army day commemorates the then Lieutenant General KM Cariappa’s taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on 15 January 1949 . It’s a day when we celebrate the dedication, courage and sacrifices of our formidable Indian army.
On the occasion of the 68th Army Day, we turn our attention to the one interesting fact about one of our most famous war monuments in India — the Amar Jawan Jyoti. Located at the east end of Rajpath in New Delhi, the memorial needs no introduction. From movies to magazines, we have seen several glorious portrayals of this historic war memorial. The Amar Jawan Jyoti is canopied by the India Gate, which itself is a memorial to the 82,000 soldiers of the undivided Indian Army who died in between 191421 in the First World War.
The black marble plinth pedestal with a reversed rifle, capped by a helmet, bounded by four eternal flames has sicne 1971 served as Indias Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The words ‘Amar Jawan’ are scripted in gold on the cenotaph. On important days, VIPs and top ranking military officials pay their respects at this monument.
You’ve seen the pictures and the videos: the rifle standing there solemnly even as the city bustles around it. But do you know whom the bayonet and rifle placed on the structure belong to? Here’s the story:
It was in 1971 following the Bangladesh Liberation War that this small but significant memorial was constructed. The rifle and helmet belong to an unknown soldier who fell in the Jessore sector during this war. The rifle is an L1A1 self-loading rifle and the four urns are each ignited with the permanent light (jyoti) from CNG flames.
The Late Lieutenant General JFR Jacob, Chief of Staff, Eastern Army Command who passed away into the ages on January 13, 2016 recounted in one of his interviews that the Indian Army lost 1400 men and 4,000 others were wounded. He said that over 93,000 Pakistanis were taken as prisoners and pointed out that the rifle and bayonet at the Amar Jawan memorial in New Delhi belonged to an unknown soldier who died fighting in the Jessore sector.
The Amar Jyoti Jawan memorial was erected in December 1971 to commemorate Indian soldiers killed in the defense of their country. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on January 27, 1979. Since its installation, the Amar Jawan Jyoti, has served as Indias Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is manned round the clock by soldiers drawn from the three services of the Indian armed forces. Wreaths are placed at the Amar Jawan Jyoti on January 26, India’s Republic Day, by the Prime Minister of India.