Martyr’s statue installed after 21-year battle

Palampur, August 29

After struggling for nearly 21 years, the family of martyr Major Sudhir Kumar Walia, an Ashok Chakra awardee, managed to get his statue installed in the heart of Palampur town today.

It was the martyr’s 21st death anniversary today.

Having sacrificed his life fighting militants in Jammu and Kashmir in 1999 at the age of 28, Major Sudhir was posthumously awarded the country’s highest peacetime military decoration in January 2000.

Subedar Rulia Ram (retd), Major Sudhir’s father, had to run from pillar to post to get his demand accepted for a statue either in Palampur or their native Banuri village in Kangra district.

It was after The Tribune highlighted the issue recently that the local administration got cracking and announced the statue would be opened to the public on his death anniversary. — OC