Family of Kargil martyrs salute spirit of sacrifice

Anil Bhatt

Tololing (Kargil), Jul 25 (PTI) Ten years after Captain
Neikezhakuo Kenguriise sacrificed his life when he led a
platoon to re-capture Tololing from Pakistani troops during
the Kargil war, his family has come all the way from Nagaland
to salute the place of their son's martyrdom.

"We have to come to see and salute the place of the
martyrdom of our son. It was a dream for us to visit the holy
place and pray for our son", the late captain's father
Neiselie Kenguriise told a visiting PTI correspondent here in
the northern state of Kashmir Saturday.

As they took a glimpse of Tololing ridgeline captured by
their son and his platoon, tears welled in the eyes of
Neiselie, his wife Dinuo and daughter.

Captain Neikezhakuo led his platoon to Tololing
ridgeline overlooking an imporotant army formation, ejected
Pakistani regulars and re-captured the ridgeline in a
five-day-long battle. But he lost his life in mortar shelling
on June 18, 1999.

Captain Neikezhakuo, who hailed from Kohima in Nagaland,
was awarded Mahavir Chakra (MVC).

"My son did his duty to the nation with utmost dedication.
We have come here to pay homage to him along with other
martyrs, who defeated the enemy in one of the most difficult
wars", the captain's parents said.

Like Captain Neikezhakuo, another soldier Captain Manoj
Pandey achieved martyrdom by beating back Pakistani troops and
re-capturing Khalobar ridgeline, one of the most dominant
positions captured by the Pakistani troops in Kargil sector.
He died on July 3, 1999 in this sector.

"He is my hero as well as the nation's hero. He braved
enemy fire and re-captured Khalobar ridgeline and pushed back
Pakistani troops. He was given Param Vir Chakra (PVC)
posthumously," his brother Manmohan Pandey, who had come to
visit the memorial from Lucknow, said.

Flanked by his mother, Manmohan said, "I had come here to
pray at the place where my brother sacrificed his life in the
line of duty. This place is a temple for me".

"My father and mother have visited the memorial several
times and it was my dream to visit the place," he said.

Praising his junior Captain Vikram Batra for his bravery
in the battle front in Drass sector where he laid down his
life, Colonel Gurpreet Singh, Commanding Officer of 13 Jammu
and Kashmir (JAK) rifles said his unit won many awards.

"Our unit 13 JAK rifles achieved the title of brave among
the bravest as it won two PVCs in Kargil battle", Col Singh,
who was then Major and was directly looking after the battle
front in Drass, said.

Captain Batra and Lance Naik Sanjay Kumar had won PVCs
for their gallantry and both belonged to 13 JAK rifles.

As many as 533 jawans and army officers laid down their
lives and 86 of them got PVCs, MVCs and VCs for the Kargil
war.

While four soldiers, Captain Batra and Captain Pandey were
awarded PVCs (posthumously) respectively, two PVCs were
awarded to Lance Naik Joginder Yadav of grenadier and Sanjay
Kumar of 13 JAK rifles.

The two-day "Operation Vijay" celebrations from Saturday
will mark the victory of Indian forces over their Pakistani
army regulars ten years ago.

All re-captured heights would be lit up during the
celebrations. PTI