remembering a war: KARGIL DIVAS

jul 21st, 2010

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Radha 

PRESS NOTE

KARGIL VIJAY DIVAS 26 JULY 2010

                                                                Dated:  18 July 2010

 Dear Members of the Media

 1.  We wish to remind the people of India that eleven years back on 26 Jul 1999, demonstrating courage, valour, grit and determination, our Defence Forces recaptured every inch of our mother land and either killed or threw back every Pakistani infiltrator who had deceptively occupied the heights in Kargil Region while our then Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was extending his hands of friendship to Pakistan in Lahore.

2.   During this War 543 Jawans, JCOs and Officers achieved martyrdom and over 1200 were seriously wounded.   This war was fought at the heights of over16000 feet in a most inhospitable rugged, stiff and steep mountain ridges.   To honour the bravery and valour of our soldiers, the President of India awarded four Pram Vir Chakra (PVC), nine Maha Vir Chakras (MVC) and 55 Vir Chkras (VrC).  Capt Vikram Batra, 13 JAK Rif, Lt Manoj Pandey 1/11 Gorkha Rifles, Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav 18 Grenadiers and Rifleman Sanjay Kumar 13 JAK Rif were the recipients of highest Gallantry award of PVC.

3.   The Pakistani intruders had positioned themselves on Tololing Top, Tiger Hill, Pt 4875, Pt 4590, Pt 5100 and Pt 5140.  The names of these hilltops (points) became familiar to the people of India as these were getting reported in Press and electronic media during successes of Indian Forces.  Capt Vikram Batra played a sterling role in the capture of feature Pt 5140, a critical peak from the point of view that it overlooked the Srinagar – Leh highway which was important for logistics and supply of reinforcements for the Indian Army.   Its capture facilitated in the capture of other hill tops ie Rt 4750, 4875 and Tiger Hill and finally lead to Indian eventual victory.

4.   After the capture of pt 5140, Capt Vikram Batra radioed his commanding  officer and said the success signal "Yeh Dil Mange More" The words later went on to become a motivational slogan during the war and is used even now at various  occasions like the Vijay Divas.

5.   The Defence Forces of India are the most patriotic forces in the world.   They have always proved their worth during external and internal threats.   They are the strongest pillars of our democracy.   Indian Ex Servicemen Movement (IESM) working for the welfare of Defence Personnel requests all citizens of India to join in commemorating the valour and bravery of soldiers on the Kargil Vijay Divas on 26 Jul 2010.   All citizens are requested to light a candle at the main gate of their  homes at 8 PM on 26 Jul 2010 and after saying a prayer for those brave hearts who never returned, place a marigold (Genda) next to it as a silent tribute.

6.   At National Capital Region (NCR), the people are requested to reach India Gate at the their own time and light a candle there at 8 PM onwards as a mark of respect to the Martyrs.   Kargil Vijay Divas is also being commemorated in others parts of the country.

 "Lets us join hands to salute the brave soldiers of India"

 With Regards,

Jai Hind

Yours Sincerely,

Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, SM
Vice Chairman Indian ESM Movement
Mobile: 9312404269, 0124-4110570
Email: satbirsm@yahoo.com

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From: CoreGpIESM@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CoreGpIESM@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Colonelrajan Srinivas
Sent: 12 July 2010 08:52
To: CoreGpIESM
Subject: [CoreGpIESM] KARGIL DIWAS BANGALORE Sunday, 25 JULY 2010 [2 Attachments]

 

 

Please download the attachments and go through them.

(To read the attachments to this email please visit the
REPORT MY SIGNAL BLOG AT
http://reportmysignal.blogspot.com

PAYING HOMAGE TO MARTYRS ON KARGIL DIWAS

AT 9.30 AM ON SUNDAY, 25 JULY 2010

AT RASHTRIYA SAINIKA SMARAKA, BANGALORE

Next to Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain on Chowdaiah Road,

Opp. Nehru Planetorium, Near Raj Bhawan

 

Serving & Retired Officers, JCOs, NCOs & OR (and their equivalents in the Navy & Air Force) and their Families and Family Pensioners are requested to assemble at 9.15 AM on Sunday, 25 July 2010.

In July 1999, at the end of a 73 day conflict, the brave Jawans of the Indian Army with the able & close support of our valiant Air Force, decimated & threw out the Pakistani invaders from Kargil, Drass, Tololing, Batalik & Turtok sectors in Kashmir; wherein, the Pakistani Army had surreptitiously occupied the deserted heights of our territory, left unoccupied by the Indian Army due to inhospitable weather conditions during the severe icy winter months.

Victory came at a high price: 527 soldiers killed (Officers: 20, JCOs: 23 and Jawans: 475) and over 1700 injured (Officers:66, JCOs: 60 and Jawans: 1085). Four valiant soldiers were awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) for their bravery:

·         Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav, 18 Grenadiers, PVC.

·         Lietenant Manoj Kumar Pandey, 1/11 GR, PVC (Posthumous).

·         Captain Vikram Batra, 13 J&K Rifles, PVC (Posthumous).

·         Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, 13 J&K Rifles, PVC (Posthumous).

These brave men had promised their families that they would soon return from the War……and they kept their word. They went to the battlefield as valiant soldiers and came back as HEROES…… Think of their sacrifice: They gave their TODAY; for our TOMORROW.

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From: Rakesh Prasad Chaturvedi [mailto:rpchaturvedi@gmail.com]
Sent: 17 July 2010 01:32
Subject: Delhi Poetree organizing Function on 31 July

 

"Delhi Poetree" ('The Poets' Society of Delhi) is orgnaizing a function on 31July evening in the context of Kargil Divas. It is a one hour program at one of the renown auditoriums in Delhi.

 

You are requested to intimate names and contact details (Tele No, E Mail id and postal address) of people who may be invited by us.

 

While interested veterans are of course welcome, the program hopes to attract citizens in all walks of life. Intellectuals, academicians, sportsmen etc. Its going to be an INTERESTING evening I can tell you.

 

You are also requested to confirm if YOU are willing to assist 'at site' with duties like ushering etc.

An urgent response is requested. Thanks.
--
With Warm Regards,
Col RP Chaturvedi,
A-35, Sector 36,
Noida 201303.
Mob: +919891279035
Skype: rakesh.prasad.chaturvedi

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From: amar grewal [mailto:amar.grewal@gmail.com]
Sent: 11 July 2010 20:02
To: Vijay Oberoi; Amarjit Chabbewal; Mehta Ashok; Rajeev Kohli; Randhir Randhawa; Col.VJS Grewal; Colonel Grewal; Davinder Grewal; Manjit Gill; Ajit Grewal; Rebba Singh; DVS; Bir Sandhu; Vijayveer Gulia; Peter Bedi; Kamboj C S; Colonel Daljit Anand; Lali Bains; Moni Shergill; Balraj Takhar; Mit GMail; manju sekhri; Inderjit Chima; Surinder Gill; Shaharyar Haider; Shinjini Singh; Harjeet Sandhu; Charanjit Chima; Jai Singh Gill
Subject: Fauji Khabbar

 

From last Saturday's Tribune.

 

Amar

(Shree Amar Grewal, Chandigarh)

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The Tribune Saturday, July 10, 2010 BATTLE FOR BATALIK During the Kargil conflict, it was in Batalik that the Indian Army faced its toughest challenge. It was also here that it won its first and finest victories, writes Vijay Mohan ON the night of July 2, 1999, a platoon of 1/11 Gorkha Rifles, during its advance to Khalubar in the Batalik sub-sector, came under heavy enemy fire from the surrounding heights as it approached its objective after an arduous climb of several hours. The platoon commander, Lieut Manoj Kumar Pandey, was tasked by his commanding officer to clear the enemy positions before daybreak. Still under heavy fire, he quickly moved his platoon to a better position and sent one section of the troops to clear the enemy positions from the right, while he himself proceeded to the left. The courageous commander boldly attacked the first enemy position; killing two enemy soldiers, and destroying the second position by killing two more.   He was injured in the shoulder and legs while clearing the third position. Undaunted, Lieutenant Pandey continued to lead the assault on the fourth position, urging and inspiring his men. He destroyed the last and fourth position with a grenade, even as he was hit fatally in the forehead.   This courageous but daredevil act of Lieutenant Pandey was helpful in giving a criucial and firm base to his battalion and other units, which finally led to the capture of Khalubar. The assault also reversed the fortunes of the Indian Army in the battle for Batalik. The officer, however, succumbed to his injuries, and was decorated posthumously with the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest award for gallantry. This is just one of the numerous tales of gallantry that flowed from the treacherous heights of Kargil, as troops cleared areas occupied by Pakistani intruders. As grim battles raged across a 160-km stretch of ridges and peaks that comprises the Kargil sector, it was in Batalik that the Army faced its toughest challenge. It was also here that it won its first and finest victories.   Exactly 11 years on, the battle has again come under intense scrutiny by the judiciary, the service community and the media after the Armed Forces Tribunal ruled that a Lieutenant-General, who was the Army's top commander in the sector, had showed a bias against the Brigade Commander responsible for the operations, and had also fudged some of the reports relating to operations in that sub-sector. 70 Infantry Brigade under 3 Infantry Division, conducted operations in Batalik, that lies to the east of Kargil. Situated between Srinagar and Leh on National Highway 1-A and in close proximity with the Line of Control, the Kargil sector comprises, from the west to the east, the Mushkoh, Dras, Kaksar, Batalik, Turtok and the Haneef sub-sectors.   Under Operation Badr, conceived by the Pakistani military, well-equipped regular soldiers from its Northern Light Infantry (NLI), dressed in civilian clothes, intruded across the LoC in large numbers and occupied un-held ridges and mountaintops. Pakistan's gameplan, which turned out to be a huge strategic blunder, was to sever NH-1A, thereby cutting off the lifeline to Ladakh and Siachen, while opening new infiltration routes into Jammu and Kashmir and provide an impetus to the flagging militancy in the state, besides focussing international attention on the region.   As the intrusions were detected in early May, 1999, and the Indian establishment lumbered to meet the threat, the Army initially found the going tough. Varying assessments by senior commanders presented a lopsided view of the situation, and serious shortcomings were revealed in operational preparedness and logistic support in that sector. It took about a month, according to some senior officers, to build up force levels, train and acclimatise troops and work out an appropriate strategy and develop tactics to conduct successful operations. In Batalik, elements of the 5 and 8 NLI had intruded 8-10 km across the LoC and occupied four ridgelines — Jubar, Kukarthang, Khalubar and Point 5203 at heights of 15,000-16,800 feet and having steep slopes and jagged peaks. The strength of the enemy in this sector was assessed to be between 600 and 800 intruders. In his book, Kargil: The Impregnable Conquered, Lieut-Gen Y. M. Bammi states that the operations of the brigade were conducted over quite a difficult terrain against stiff enemy opposition in an area totally devoid of any infrastructure. Narrow valleys and other flying constraints made air support in this sector impossible.   The initial task of the brigade, after moving in from Dras on May 8, was to identify the extent of the penetration and attempt to exploit gaps and flanks in the enemy defences. Due to the sheer dominance of the ridges, attempting to hit the enemy head-on and proceeding sequentially to the LoC would have resulted in heavy casualties and little results. Having identified the enemy's logistics supply routes — one along Shangruti-Ganisabar and the other along Piun-Chorbat La — it was decided to drive a wedge in the enemy's rear so as not to allow the two axes of supply to converge, and, thus, divide the intrusion into two management lodgements. The eastern lodgement of Chorbat La, being smaller, was cleared first and then both flanks of the remaining lodgement were secured.   With 11 battalions, the operations to recapture Batalik were conducted in five phases. In the absence of any indications as to the depth and extent of enemy intrusion, it was left to the brigade to assess and identify the ingress and take suitable action. Initially, 3 Div allotted 1/11 GR and 12 JAK LI, supported by two batteries of 15 Field Regiment, to the brigade. Later, 1 Bihar was inducted and Corps Headquarters deployed 10 Para on deep strike missions. Subsequently, fire support was built up with four regiments, including Bofors and multiple-barrel rocket launchers. As additional intrusions became evident, Ladakh Scouts, 5 Para, 17 Gharwal, 22 Grenadiers and 14 Sikh were also inducted. The second phase involved defining the concept of operations and securing the enemy flanks. 10 Para (SF), along with a company of 5 Para, attempted to cut off enemy lines of communication by moving along the Gragra Bar and capture features on Tharu ridge from May 20-24. A corridor was established along Junk Lungpa by 12 JAK LI, while Point 5203 was captured on June 21 to secure the eastern flank. After both the eastern and western flanks were secured, third-phase plans were made to exploit the tactical gains and cut off the supply routes to engineer the enemy's collapse. Between July 1 and July 8, troops from 17 Garhwal, Ladakh Scouts, 12 JAK LI and 1/11 GR attacked and captured features towards this extent.   Having eliminated enemy supply routes, the fourth phase was characterised by dislodging intruders from important heights and all troops in contact with the enemy were told to simultaneously push ahead to evict the enemy. Jubar Top was captured by 1 Bihar while Muntho Dhalo and Ganisabar were secured by 5 Para by July 11.   In the last phase of the operations from July 23 to July 28, important heights on the LoC were captured to gain advantageous defensive positions and effective domination over areas across the LoC.   In fact, almost all regular soldiers of Pakistani Northern Light Infantry battalions had been evicted from mountaintops well before Pakistan's negotiated withdrawal. It was on July 9 that Army Headquarters officially announced that 99 per cent of Batalik had been cleared. "70 Infantry Brigade recaptured the maximum of terrain features from Pakistan intruders, sustained the maximum number of casualties and recovered the largest number of weapons and huge quantities of ammunition. Six out of the eight Pakistani prisoners captured during Operation Vijay had been apprehended in Batalik," states Heroes of Kargil, a publication by the Army Headquarters. "By all accounts, it was a remarkable victory," the book adds.   The cost of the victory was 125 soldiers lost to enemy fire, with another 300 wounded. The brigade won one Param Vir Chakra, two Maha Vir Chakras, 24 Vir Chakras, four Yudh Seva Medals, 54 Sena Medals and one Vishist Seva Medal. Six battalions from the brigade were awarded Battle or Theatre Honour Batalik/Kargil for their exemplary performance, while six got the Unit Citation from Chief of the Army Staff.   CONFLICT CHRONOLOGY May 3, 1999: First reports of Pakistani intrusions in Kargil come in from the locals May 5: Army patrols sent up; Five Indian soldiers captured and tortured to death May 9: Heavy shelling by Pakistan damages the AMO dump in Kargil May 10: Infiltrations noticed in the Dras, Kaksar and the Mushkoh sectors Mid-May: The Army moves in more troops from the Kashmir Valley to the Kargil sector May 26: The Air Force launches air strikes against infiltrators May 27: The Air Force loses two fighters; Flt Lt Nachiketa taken PoW May 28: An IAF MI-17 shot down by Pakistan; Four of crew dead June 1: Pakistan steps up attacks, bombs NH 1-A June 5: The Indian Army releases documents recovered from three Pakistani soldiers indicating Pakistan's involvement June 6: The Indian Army launches major offensive in Kargil and Dras June 9: The Army re-captures two key positions in the Batalik sector June 11: India releases intercepts of conversation between Gen Pervez Musharraf and Chief of Staff, Gen Aziz Khan, as proof of the Pakistan's Army involvement. June 13: The Indian Army secures Tololing in Dras June 15: US President Bill Clinton, in a telephonic conversation, asks Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to pull out from Kargil June 29: The Army captures two vital posts, Point 5060 and Point 5100 near Tiger Hill July 2: Indian Army launches three-pronged attack in Kargil July 4: The Army recaptures Tiger Hill after an 11-hour battle July 5: The Indian Army takes control of Dras. Clinton and Sharif issue a joint statement in the USA in which Pakistan agrees to withdraw from Kargil July 7: India recaptures Jubar Heights in Batalik July 11: Pakistan begins pullout; India captures key peaks in Batalik July 14: Then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declares Operation Vijay a success. The government sets condition for talks with Pakistan July 26: The Kargil conflict officially comes to an end. The Army announces complete eviction of Pakistani intruders CASUALTIES INDIA Killed: 527 Wounded: 1,363 PoW: 1 PAKISTAN Killed: 4,000 (stated by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif) Wounded: 800 (estimate) PoW: 8

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