Himachal Governor Bandaru Dattatraya on Sunday interacted with the Kargil war heroes of the Naga regiment at Raj Bhavan on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Divas.
Speaking on the occasion, he congratulated the Indian army on this special day, pointing out that Kargil victory was fantabulous in which the brave soldiers of the Indian army showed their valor and great commitment towards safeguarding the frontiers of the nation. He said that the people of the country would always be indebted towards the army for its sacrifices and commitment for national security.
Dattatraya said Himachal Pradesh is known as Dev Bhoomi and Veer Bhoomi and every household has a soldier. In the Kargil war, the soldiers of the state showed their courage and valor and 52 soldiers gave their supreme sacrifice to safeguard the frontiers of the nation. He said that 15 soldiers from Kangra district alone and 11 from Mandi district were martyred. Seven soldiers each from Hamirpur and Bilaspur districts, four from Shimla district, two from Una and one each from Chamba and Kullu districts were martyred.
The heroes of Himachal were awarded with two Param Vir Chakras, five Vir Chakras, nine Sena Medals, one Yudh Seva Medal, two Uttam Yudh Sena Medals and two soldiers with Mention-in-Dispatches. Captain Vikram Batra from Palampur was posthumously awarded the Paramveer Chakra. The second Paramvir Chakra was received by Subedar Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Bilaspur.
The Kargil war heroes of the Naga regiment shared their experiences of the war and apprised the Governor about the adverse conditions they had to face while capturing the point 4875 peak situated at around 17000 feet height. They informed that 15 soldiers of the regiment sacrificed their lives during this aggression. The Naga regiment received 13 individual awards including Veer Chakra for its bravery in this war.
He honoured the Kargil war heroes on this occasion including Subedar Major Visale Lenu, Subedar Madan Mohan Pandey, Subedar Kenneth Anal, Naib Subedar Hemant Bisht, Naib Subedar Basant Chhetri and Havildar Pushkar Singh.
The Naga regiment also presented a unit memento to the Governor on this occasion and expressed gratitude towards him for interacting and honouring them on the Kargil Day.