Interacts with Army Comdrs, troops
Returns to New Delhi after 2-day visit
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 15: President Ram Nath Kovind today paid tributes at Kargil War Memorial in Drass, the second coldest place in the world, in Kargil district in the Union Territory of Ladakh and interacted with the Army Commanders and troops for some time before flying to Srinagar and back to New Delhi at the end of his two-day visit to the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
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“President Ram Nath Kovind visited the Kargil War Memorial, Drass, to lay a wreath and pay homage to the brave soldiers who made supreme sacrifice defending the nation at Kargil,” a tweet by the President of India, said.
Kovind flew straight to Drass from Udhampur, where he stayed for the night at Northern Command Headquarters, and offered tributes to the martyrs.
He was received at Drass by Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Radha Krishna Mathur, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Northern Command chief Lt Gen Y K Joshi, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Leh-based 14 Corps Lt Gen PGK Menon and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil chief Feroz Khan among others.
After offering tributes at the Kargil War Memorial, Kovind stayed at Drass for some time during which he inter-acted with Army Commanders and troops.
Later, he flew to Srinagar from where he left for New Delhi on the culmination of his two-day visit to the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The President broke the tradition for celebrating Dussehra festival this year with Army soldiers in Drass area of Ladakh as traditionally, he has been participating in the celebrations at the national capital.
Earlier, Kovind was scheduled to visit Drass twice in 2019 and this year on July 26 but both the times he had to cancel his trip due to bad weather conditions as Drass located at the height of 10,800 feet from seal level, which is second coldest place in the world and first in India.
Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on July 26 as India had won the war with Pakistan fought in Kargil mountains for about two months in 1999 on this day. Nearly 550 Indian soldiers were martyred in the war. In 2019 after cancellation of Drass visit, he had paid respects to the martyrs at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar while in 2021, he had visited Baramulla War Memorial to pay tributes to the jawans after he couldn’t fly to Drass.
The President was scheduled to fly to Drass from Srinagar for paying respects at the Kargil War Memorial on July 26 in 2019 and 2021 but on both the occasions he had to cancel the visit because of the bad weather conditions at Drass. In 2020, the victory celebrations were not held at Drass due to spread of COVID pandemic.
Indian Army and Air Force had fought more than two month long war in the icy heights of Kargil in May, June and July 1999 to eliminate and push back the Pakistan army regulars and invaders who had occupied the hills. India won the war on July 26, 1999 and since then the day every year is celebrated as ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ across the nation. As against martyrdom of 550 Indian soldiers, Pakistan had lost more than 1500 regular troops and invaders.
Yesterday, Kovind broke away from tradition and had “bada Khana” with the soldiers and their families at Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur on the occasion of Mahanavami, the culmination of the nine-day-long Navratri.
The President began his visit to the region on Thursday from the Union Territory of Ladakh, where he performed the Sindhu Darshan puja at the Sindhu Ghat in Leh, officials said.
The Sindhu riverbank, known for its beautiful and scenic landscape, is situated near Shey village in Leh and is hosting a multitude of cultural programmes, including the Sindhu Darshan festival.
Late last evening, Kovind arrived at the main ground of the Army’s Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur.
He was received by top officials, led by Kargil war hero and Northern Command chief Lieutenant General Y K Joshi, the officials said.
The President interacted with the troops and their families amid “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” slogans raised by the soldiers. He enquired about the welfare of the troops and gave a chocolate to the child of a jawan.
On the occasion of Mahanavami, the President had “bada khana” with the troops and their families, the officials said.
Patriotic songs were sung by boys and girls at the venue and the troops of the Army’s Sikh regiment showcased their martial arts skills before the President.
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