VIJAY DIWAS

Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year in on 26th July in honor of the martyred soldiers in the that took place between India and in the year 1999. it has been named after the victory of the Kargil war, it is observed on 26th July. the war ended with India recapturing the post which occupied with malice intention and successful withdrawal of enemy troops. however, the war resulted in casualties in Kargil and sectors.india and Pakistan has had tensions. Though after the Indo-Pak War of 1971, there had been very few instances of direct armed conflicts between the two nations, however there were some military skirmishes in the 1980s regarding the control of the against which India launched (). in the years of , the conflicts and tensions were increasing. Also, there was tension centering on the separatist activities in and the conduction of nuclear tests by both the nations in 1998. Starting from 1974 when India exploded its first nuclear bomb in the Pokhran test range, known as “Smiling Buddha”. In an attempt to ease up the situation both the nations agreed and signed the in February in 1999, in the promise of providing a peaceful and mutually beneficial solution to the Kashmir issue.Despite these, in late 1998 there had been activities of intrusion of Pakistani troops in India, codenamed “Operation Badr”. Some Pakistani troops and paramilitary forces entered the Indian side of the Line Of Control (LOC) with the aim of gaining control over Siachen Glacier and force India to negotiate a settlement of the Kashmir dispute.

The area that witnessed the infiltration is about 160-kilometre (100 mi) long and the general height of the outposts of the mountain ridges was around 5,000 m (16,000 ft) high, some as high as 5,485 m (18,000 ft) (“War in Kargil – The CCC’s summary on the war”). The temperature dropped as low as −48 °C (−54 °F)( “Climate & Soil conditions”, Kargil), making it extremely challenging for the army of both the nations to stay there. Therefore, they had an implied agreement on vacating the post during this time period.However, taking the undue advantage of the situation, Pakistan Army and some terrorists captured the India posts and Bunkers situated in Kargil and Dras sector. These intrusions went undetected till May as they were grossly underestimated by the Army, leading to heavy damage in the initial stages. The total seized area is approximately between 130 and 200 km2 (50 and 80 sq mi).

Finally the Government of India responded with Operation Vijay, arming and mobilizing about 2 Lakh troops. The navy played a significant role as well in the operation in cutting off all supply from Pakistan. The India Air Force (IAF) had joined the operation with ‘’.

All these joined efforts of blood and sweat of the brought the war to an end on the 26th July of 1999, thus marking it as Kargil Vijay Diwas.

Though, 527 brave men of the Indian Armed Forces suffered martyrdom during the war.Kargil Vijay Diwas is commemorate to honour the war heroes and all those who laid their life at risk to serve our nation. Every year, the organizes various events and functions across the country.Some of those war heroes whom India will always be proud of, are – Captain Vikram Batra who was a battle casualty in the Kargil war at the age of 24, Lieutenant Balwan Singh planted the Indian tricolor at the top of At 25 and was later awarded the Mahavir Chakra for his bravery, Then 19-years-old Yogendra Singh Yadav (now Subedar Major) was the youngest person to ever be awarded the , just to name a few.

Also in honor of the martyred soldiers, the Indian Army has built The in the town of Dras which is located on the – . Every year people come to visit and pay tribute to the Army Personnel who sacrificed their lives for our nation. It is now an important landmark and a major tourist attraction in Western .The objective of celebrating this day is to elicit the feeling of patriotism and a sense of pride in the men and women serving the nation tirelessly day and night while we are safe and secure from any outside intrusion. And to highlight the stories of valor by our brave soldiers and inspire those who were too young and those who were not yet born in those difficult times to witness the breathtaking courage shown by our soldiers.

Name - SHUBHADEEP MONDAL

REG NO - WB20/SDA/156078

Basirhat college

48 Bengal BN