Tributes paid to 1971 war heroes

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 16

Commemorating the victory of the Indian Armed Forces over Pakistan on both the eastern and the western front in 1971, rich tributes were paid to the soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

At a ceremony organised today at the Veer Smriti war memorial in Chandimandir, Lt Gen KJ Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, laid a wreath on behalf of all ranks of the Western Command, while former Chief of Army Staff Gen VP Malik laid a wreath on behalf of the veterans.

Serving officers, senior veterans and decorated personnel also laid wreaths on the occasion. Among the veterans who paid homage at the war memorial were Lt Gen TK Sapru, Lt Gen Deepinder Singh, Lt Gen BS Jaswal, Lt Gen Baljeet Singh, Lt Gen PK Grover, Air Marshal Randhir Singh, Maj Gen DP Singh, Brig KS Chandpuri, Brig BS Mankotia and Brig BS Gill.

The patriotic fervour of the event was further enhanced with rendition of soulful patriotic songs. Illena Prashar, the 11-year-old daughter of late Major Sanjay Sharma, sang the song “Aye mere watan ke logon”, adding to the somberness of the occasion.

The Indo-Pak War of 1971 – also known as Bangladesh War — was fought between December 3 and 16 and resulted in a decisive victory with over 90,000 Pakistani troops surrendering before the Indian Forces and the creation of Bangladesh as an independent nation.