Amarinder spends Independence Day eve with troops

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh spent the Independence Day eve with troops of the 3 Sikhs in the state's Gurdaspur district on Monday.

Amarinder Singh entered the 'Barakhana' (regimental dinner) with the troops of the 3rd battalion of the Sikh regiment.

For the Chief Minister, a former Army captain himself, it was as much an experience as it was for the soldiers.

"The Chief Minister was transported back in time to those days when he was an active soldier like the rest of them. His love for the army had led him to join the force back then, and his love for the army was what motivated him to leave the comfortable confines of his home to spend the night preceding India's 70th Independence Day anniversary in the dry and deserted plains in the Western sector," a spokesperson for Amarinder Singh said.

Amarinder, now over 75 years old, had served in the Sikh Regiment.

While he has been a full-time politician for the past four decades, Amarinder Singh, as an author, has been a military historian too.

While addressing the troops, he announced that Punjab will observe September 12 as 'Saragarhi Day' to commemorate the historic battle of Saragarhi, held on this date in 1897.

"A state-level function will be held on September 12, 2017, at the Saragarhi Gurdwara in Ferozepur, to mark the occasion," he announced, adding that a state holiday will be observed on September 12 from this year onwards.

--IANS

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