NCC complex in Mandi named after Kargil War hero Brigadier Khushal Thakur

Tribune News Service

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Mandi, July 27

The Kargil Vijay Diwas NCC Empanelment Ceremony was organised by 2 HP Battalion, NCC, Mandi, here today. Tributes were paid to the martyrs of the 1999 war. Kargil War hero Brig Khushal Thakur (retd) was the chief guest on the occasion.

The battalion has named the complex as Brigadier Khushal Thakur NCC complex. Colonel Anuj S. Luthra, Commanding Officer, 2 HP Battalion, NCC, Mandi, said, “Brig Khushal Thakur was commissioned in 18 Grenadiers in December 1976. He graduated from Vallabh Government College, Mandi, and was awarded a “C” certificate by 2 HP Battalion, NCC. He was the first officer to be commissioned in 18 Grenadiers.

Principal of the college YP Sharma said that it was a matter of pride for them. Brig Khushal Thakur, who is Chairperson of the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Corporation, said, “The NCC organisation and associate NCC officers had played an important role in my life”. He narrated his experience as an NCC cadet and during the service in the Army. He shared his experiences regarding the Kargil War as the Commanding Officer of 18 Grenadiers.

Brig Rajiv Thakur, Group Commander, NCC, Himachal Pradesh, said, “Brig Khushal Thakur has participated in a plethora of operations and has a vast experience across the entire spectrum of conflicts. He as the Commanding Officer of 18 Grenadiers was deployed on counterinsurgency operations. His unit was given 20 awards for Operation Rakshak carried out under his leadership. The unit recaptured Tiger Hill and Tololing during the war in the icy heights of the Dras sector”.