10 years on, Kargil martyr's family still fighting a 'battle'

Sunday, July 05, 2009
10 years on, Kargil martyr's family still fighting a 'battle'
Palampur (Himachal Pradesh): Capt Saurabh Kalia, the first to report Pakistani incursion in Kargil in 1999, was taken captive by the Pakistani troops and a few weeks later his mutilated body was handed over to Indian authorities. Ten years on, the martyr's parents fight a lone battle to highlight war crimes against their son and other Indian soldiers.

N.K. Kalia and his wife Vijaya, who have settled in this town in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, have been waging a war to highlight Pakistani violations of human rights and brutalities committed on their son, Saurabh Kalia, and other soldiers during the Kargil war in 1999.

Saurabh Kalia of 4 Jat Regiment, who was the first army officer to report incursion by the Pakistani army on Indian soil had along with five soldiers - Sepoys Arjun Ram, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria, Bhika Ram, Moola Ram and Naresh Singh gone for a routine patrol of the Bajrang Post in the Kaksar sector when they were taken captive by the Pakistani troops May 15, 1999.

They were barbarically tortured for weeks before being killed. Their mutilated bodies were handed over to Indian authorities June 9, 1999.

"Of course, his supreme sacrifice has made us proud, but what has exhausted, disappointed and dejected us is that the nation for which he has sacrificed his life least bothered to highlight the plight of war crimes at the international fora," N.K. Kalia, 61, a retired senior scientist from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, told IANS.

"We have been shuttling between various government offices and organisations with the hope of highlighting the plight of the war victims. The Indian government has failed to deliver justice as it has forgotten atrocities meted out on six heroes. For days, they were tortured. Their limbs were chopped and bodies burnt," rued Kalia.

"Though the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the centre expressed concern over the heinous crime and promised to take up the issue at the international level, in all these years the issue got diluted," he recalled.

"Even today our only demand is that it should keep its promise so that no POWs (prisoners of war) could face Saurabh's fate. Had this happened to any American or Israeli soldier, the culprits would have been brought to justice."

Vijaya, who runs an LPG agency allotted by the Indian Oil Corporation to honour his martyrdom, asked: "Is this the way the government treats its heroes?"

To highlight the plight of the war victims, Saurabh Kalia's father has started an online signature campaign.

"The pain of losing a young son is hard to describe in words. But we feel contended with the fact that many citizens have supported us through online signature campaign. Till date more than 13,000 people have put up their signatures," N.K. Kalia said.

Saurabh Kalia, who was posted in Kargil as his first posting after passing out of the Indian Military Academy, did not even live long enough to receive his first pay packet as an officer.

Today, his photographs, his uniforms, shoes and mementoes are kept in his room, which has been named 'Saurabh Smriti Kaksha' (a museum), in the Kalias' four-bedroom house in the serene hills of Palampur.

The Himachal Pradesh government as a mark of respect has raised 'Saurabh Van Vihar' in a sprawling area of 35 acres here besides renaming a street in the town as Capt Saurabh Kalia Marg. A nursing college in the proposed Vivekanand Medical Research Trust Hospital here is being raised in martyr's memory.
Source: IANS
10 years on, Kargil martyr's family still fighting a 'battle'

Steps taken by the army after the Kargil war
•The Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) was created.
•Line of Control (LoC) was refenced to check infiltration from across the border; new surveillance technology was installed all along the 740km of LoC.
•The army decided to keep the troops ready for war by keeping additional formations rotating.
•Clearance was given by the government to allow younger officers to assume command of battalions.
•The army headquarters decided to split the Nagrota based 15 Corps to increase its efficiency. In Leh a complete corps (14 Corps) with three divisions has been installed to guard the border in Kargil.
Steps taken by the army after the Kargil war

10 years of Kargil, heroes recall the war

HEROES OF TIGER HILL
Pawan Bali / CNN-IBN
Published on Sat, Jul 04
Samba, Jammu: It's been 10 years since Kargil war. July 4, 1999 was when a vital victory for India was sealed. CNN-IBN met the heroes of Tiger Hill who get together once again after a decade to remember the comrades they lost.

After a decade Commanding Officer Kushal Kumar reunited with his brave men of the 18 Grenadiers who fought the crucial battle of Tiger Hill during the Kargil war. They re-captured the 16,800 feet high peak, strategically occupied by Pakistani intruders to dominate the Leh Srinagar National Highway.

"Tiger hill was the turning point of Kargil war. In fact, it was mother of all battles. The weather was bad, it was raining and there were all sort of problems," said Brigadier Kumar.

On the night of July 3 and July 4, the Indian Army launched a three pronged attack on the peak. With 132 guns providing support fire, Param Veer Chakra awardee Yogender Singh Yadav - who then barely 19 - was the first to lead six men of the Ghatak Platoon to the top.

He fought about 70 Pakistani troops for over eight hours. Didn't giving up even after receiving 15 gun shot wounds and losing all his men.

"I knew I would not die without giving them a fight. I wanted to fight till the end," said Yadav.

The Tiger Hill battle alone claimed over 30 Indian soldiers. It won over 23 Gallantary Awards including the Param Veer Chakra for its heroes.

"It is the same feeling as if we are again capturing the Tiger Hill" recalled Mahaveer Chakra awardee, Major Balwan Singh.

The Tiger Hill battle sealed India's victory during the Kargil war. And after a decade these men get together to celebrate the memories of the battle and of the men who won it.
10 years of Kargil, heroes recall the war

Batalik Battles: unsung Heroes
10 years after Kargil: Tough battles in Batalik went unsung by Ajay Banerjee writes from Ganasok (on the LoC)

IESM: Chairman's Desk

Date: Saturday, 4 July, 2009, 9:03 PM
Dear Colleagues,
The steering committee met this afternoon to work out the modalities for the Kargil Diwas activities. As already disseminated, apart from paying homage to the martyrs, the IESM plans to observe Kargil Day through positive actions, such as blood donation, pledging of organs, interaction with schools and colleges to talk about valour etc. There are also plans to get the civilians involved. The theme is to spread the message that the ESM spirit is not confined to merely protesting for their rights but also that they are positive contributors for social causes.
Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM