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New Delhi: Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on July 26 every year to honour the triumph of the Indian armed forces in the Kargil War against Pakistan. On this day, the country remembers its brave soldiers who displayed extraordinary valour and made great sacrifices during the 1999 conflict. One such brave soldier was Lance Naik Vidyanand Singh of the Bihar Regiment, who laid down his life for the nation on June 9, 1999. He succumbed to his injuries while recapturing a strategic peak in the Batalik sector of Kargil during the Kargil War.
During the 1999 Kargil war, Vidyanand Singh fought valiantly with the Pakistani intruders and received more than six bullets on his chest. He was part of a military troop that was assigned to recapture the top of the Batalik sector located at a height of 17,000 feet on the border with Drass of Kargil. The Batalik sector was crucial for India to secure the highway passing through it, which was under Pakistan’s control. The Indian troop started climbing the hill on June 6 in 1999 and reached the top on the night of June 9.
After reaching the height of 17,000 feet, the Indian troop encountered massive resistance from the Pakistani soldiers who had occupied a bunker. However, Vidyanand Singh engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Pakistani soldiers and was hit by several bullets in the process and many of his comrades also attained martyrdom. Despite being injured severely, he continued to fight until the troop captured the peak but he succumbed to his wounds before help could reach him.
It should be noted that Vidyanand Singh joined the Indian Army in 1985 and was posted in Nagaland before being deployed in Kargil. Prior to the Kargil war, Vidyanand had also fought bravely against the Naga rebels and was famous for his strong physique. He was a native of Panpura village of Bhojpur district of Bihar.
On June 9, 1999, his mortal remains were brought to Patna and was given a state funeral. Later, Vidyanand was awarded the Sena Medal posthumously for his exceptional courage and valour to fight for the defence of the nation.
After paying rich tributes to the valour of the Indian armed forces on the 24th Kargil Vijay Divas, Army Chief General Manoj Pande said the jawans, who made the supreme sacrifice in the 1999 conflict with Pakistan, will forever live on in the hearts and minds of the people.
Recalling ‘Operation Vijay’, the Army chief said it was a difficult and a high-intensity military operation in the icy and unforgiving heights of Kargil.
“Operation Vijay was a difficult and a high-intensity military operation. It was a difficult terrain, which was under the possession of the enemy. It was a challenge that our soldiers accomplished. I also want to commend our Air warriors for their contribution to achieving the final objective,” General Pande added.
Addressing the kin of the Kargil heroes, the Army chief said, “The country will not forget your sacrifices will also be grateful to you.”
Besides Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Army chief, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, too, paid their tributes to the fallen Kargil heroes at the memorial.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the defence minister, in his address at the commemoration event, saluted the brave sons of the soil, who put the nation first and did not hesitate to make the ultimate sacrifice in the Kargil conflict with Pakistan in 1999.
After the wreath-laying ceremony, the Raksha Mantri met with the family members of the soldiers and handed them mementoes and shawls as a mark of respect to the fallen Kargil heroes.
Later, he paid a visit to the ‘Hut of Remembrance’ museum in Drass, which holds memorabilia testifying to the valour and sacrifice of the Indian Army in the Kargil conflict.
In the conflict, which lasted over two months, the Army managed to push back the Pakistani intruders, who had been occupying certain vantage points in Kargil, raising the Tricolour on the territory wrested from the enemy.
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