Death anniversary of Captain Kalia observed

Our Correspondent

Palampur, June 9

The 20th death anniversary of Captain Saurabh Kalia, who sacrificed his life on June 9, fighting Pakistan soldiers during the Kargil war, was observed here today.

NGOs, ex-Army officers and members of the civil administration paid tributes to the martyr. They also called on the parents of the martyrs at their residence Sughar on the outskirts of Palampur. Members of the Rotary Club, People’s Voice and Dhauladhar Seva Samiti also paid their tributes.

Former CM Shanta Kumar, after garlanding the statue of Captain Saurabh Kalia in Saurabh Van Vihar, said the country would not forget his sacrifice at the age of 22. The Saurabh Van Vihar was washed away in the last rainy season but the statue of the martyr was intact. Shanta Kumar said he had requested Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to release funds for the reconstruction of Saurabh Van Vihar.

Captain Kalia was the first Army officer, who reported the intrusion of Pakistani troops into the Indian side of the Line of Control when he had gone for a routine patrol in the Kaksar sector with five soldiers.

Captain Kalia guarded of the ‘Bajrang Post’ and he, along with his troops, went out of ammunition after the continuous crossfire with the Pakistani Army. They were held captive for over 20 days by the Pak troops and then shot dead after which their bodies were handed over to India.

Dr NK Kalia, father of the martyr, says it is a matter of shame that even after 20 years of their tragic death, justice has not been meted out to Captain Kalia and other troops and the government does not seem to have taken any step in this direction.