Army celebrates 'Operation Vijay Diwas' at Drass

The army Friday celebrated the 14th anniversary of its success in the operations against the 1999 incursions from Pakistan in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

A defence statement said that the celebrations of "Operation Vijay Diwas" culminated in Drass (Kargil district) Friday afternoon.

"Earlier in the day, the proceedings opened with a solemn wreath laying ceremony at the Drass War Memorial led by the chief guest, Lieutenant General Sanjeev Chachra, GOC-in-C Northern Command, and other serving and retired officers, gallantry award winners of the Kargil conflict and next of kin of martyrs, amongst them the parents of late Captain Vijayant Thapar," the statement said.

"The martyrs were then paid all-religion homage by priests of all major religions. The sombre mood at the ceremony brought home to many the losses borne so proudly by the families that lost their sons, husbands or brothers in that bloody summer of 1999."

"A first day cover was also released commemorating the event. The event was celebrated with full military decorum and solemnity," it said.

"Addressing the gathering, general Chachra thanked the contribution of the nation and the gallant martyrs who made the victory possible. It was the army's modest homage to the martyrs and a way of remembering the contribution of the units and the formations which had participated in the conflict and gave India its finest victory in recent times," the statement said.