October 27 is celebrated Infantry Day to commemorate the arrival of the Indian Army in Kashmir at the Budgam Airfield. The event is celebrated to pay obeisance to the soldiers and people of Jammu and Kashmir who were killed while protecting the country.
The Budgam landings and the war operations thereafter are the first military operations of independent India. The Army was flown in by Indian Air Force at Budgam airport on 27 October 1947. Ist Sikh Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Dewan Ranjit Rai changed the course of war wherein people and soldiers of state Forces of Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian army took part collectively to evict the tribal Invaders and to drive them (Pakistani forces) out of Jammu and Kashmir.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh To Attend Infantry Day Event
This year Defence Minister Rajnath Singh would attend the infantry day event. Defense officials said that the event would likely be attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, General Officer Commanding -In-Chief, Northern Command Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, Air Force Commander in Chief Western Air Marshall Sreekumar Prabhakaran, And General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15 corps Lieutenant General A D S Aujila, along with several other civil and military dignitaries. The event will honour the next of kin of war heroes who participated in the 1947-48 war.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will also meet the families of the soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of duty. Furthermore, the Defence Minister will also take the brief regarding the situation along the Line of control (LOC) in Kashmir and the status of infiltration. Mr Singh will visit some forward posts in North Kashmir and will interact with the soldiers.
History Of Infantry Day
On 22 October 1947, the Pakistani tribal invaders entered Jammu and Kashmir along with soldiers and volunteers from the north west frontier province (NWFP) with the sole motive to forcibly occupy the state and to integrate it into Pakistan. The tribal invaders in the forward areas of Muzaffarabad killed thousands of non Muslims, looted the households, and put thousands of houses in flames. A large number of women were kidnapped. The massacre took the lives of thousands of Hindus and Sikhs for three consecutive days. Not only this when the intruders reached Baramulla on 26 October 1947, about 11,000 innocent residents of the area were massacred.
The intruders destroyed the Mohra power station that supplied electricity to Srinagar. Witnessing the killings, the massacres and atrocities on the people, the Maharaja in the panic of losing the state appealed to India to come for rescue and signed the instrument of accession.
Following this, the first Indian infantry soldiers landed in Budgam airfield and defended the country from the tribal invaders.
War Memorial For Our Brave Heroes
The day when the first battalion of the Sikh regiment reached Srinagar Airbase with courage and determination – that day needs to be remembered with gratitude for those soldiers. For this reason 27 October every year is celebrated as Infantry Day.
The Army celebrates Infantry day every year to pay tributes to those who laid their lives to save the country from external aggression. The nation must always remember and be grateful to those war heroes who sacrificed their lives for our safety and security.
Kashmir must have a war memorial where these soldiers are remembered and honoured. The War Memorial will keep their memory alive. It will create a spark among the local youth to learn from our brave heroes and honour their sacrifice.
BLURB
Kashmir must have a war memorial where these soldiers are remembered and honoured. The War Memorial will keep their memory alive. It will create a spark among the local youth to learn from our brave heroes and honour their sacrifice
