Port Blair, July 26: Together with the rest of the country, the 20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas was celebrated in the A&N Islands too today. To mark the occasion, a solemn function was organized at the Kargil War Martyrs Memorial at Tagore Govt. College of Education, Port Blair here this morning. The Lt. Governor, A & N Islands and Vice Chairman, Islands Development Agency, Admiral DK Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM (Retd.), led the Islanders in paying rich tributes to the Kargil Martyrs, who gallantly laid down their lives for the nation in the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan. On 26th July, 1999, India successfully took command of the high outposts, which had been lost to Pakistani intruders. The Lt Governor laid a wreath at the Memorial. He also had a glimpse of the pictorial exhibition on Kargil War heroes displayed at the Memorial site.
Others who placed wreaths at the Memorial included the Member of Parliament, Shri Kuldeep Rai Sharma, the Ex- Member of Parliament, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, the PBMC Chairperson, Smt. Anusia Devi, Senior officers of the Defence and Civil Administration while prominent citizens and students also paid tributes at the Memorial.
The theme of the 20th Anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas was ‘Remember, Rejoice and Renew’. We ‘remember’ our martyrs by revisiting their sacrifices, we ‘rejoice’ by celebrating the victory in Kargil and we ‘renew’ our resolve to safeguard the honour of the Tricolour.