The newly constructed Victory Tower at the Asafwala War Memorial. Tribune photo
Fazilka, December 18
Lieutenant General Sanjiv Rai, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 10 Corps, inaugurated Victory Tower in Fazilka to commemorate 228 martyrs of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, who laid down their lives in the Fazilka sector, on the second day of two-day Vijay Diwas celebrations.
Constructed at a cost of Rs 39 lakh, 71-ft-high tower has been constructed on the Asafwala War Memorial Complex under the aegis of the Shaheedon Ki Samadhi Committee, which has been looking after one of the magnificent war memorial since 1972. The ashes of 82 jawans of the 4-Jat Regiment, whose collective cremation was performed in the village, has been preserved at the memorial.
Brigadier Maneesh Kumar Jain, Fazilka Deputy Commissioner Dr Senu Duggal, MLA Narinderpal Singh Sawna, District and Sessions Judge Jatinder Kaur and SSP Bhupinder Singh Sidhu laid wreath at the memorial and honoured the family members of the martyrs who came from different states to attend the solemn programme.
Three war veterans Brigadier, Kanwaljit Singh Heera, Colonel MS Gill and Colonel HS Gill share their experience of the war.