Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates Rezang La war memorial to honour 1962 Indo-China war heroes
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday inaugurated a revamped war memorial in eastern Ladakh’s Rezang La – the site of an epic battle where Indian troops fought the Chinese military in 1962.
“After reaching Rezang La, located amidst the inaccessible hills of Ladakh, I paid my respects to the 114 Indian soldiers who made their supreme sacrifice in the 1962 war. The Battle of Rezang La is considered one of the 10 greatest and most challenging military conflicts in the world,” the Defence Minister said after the inauguration.
“It is not India’s character to occupy the land of any other country. But, if any country has looked at India with sinister eyes, we have given them a befitting reply. The brave soldiers of our army are capable of protecting every inch of India’s land. This monument is an example of the determination and indomitable courage displayed by the army at Rezang La, which is not only immortal in the pages of history, but also in our hearts,” Singh said.
During the attack by the Chinese forces, Major Shaitan Singh moved at great personal risk from one platoon post to boost the morale of his soldiers.
Despite being seriously wounded he continued to lead his men. As per the Gazette of India, for every man lost to us, the enemy lost four or five.
When Major Shaitan Singh was unable to move due to wounds in his arms and abdomen, his men tried to evacuate him but they came under heavy machine-gun fire.
Major Shaitan Singh was awarded Param Vir Chakra
The Major ordered his men to leave immediately and save their lives. He succumbed to his injuries and was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest military decoration.
Most of the soldiers in the 13 Kumaon were from the Ahirwal region of Haryana.
After inaugurating the memorial, the defence minister will also carry out a review of the security situation with top Army commanders amid lingering border row with China along the Line of Actual Control in the region.
Army Chief Gen MM Naravane will not be able to attend the event at Rezang La as he is on a five-day visit to Israel.
India occupied a number of mountain peaks in the Rezang La region last year
Last year in August, the Indian Army occupied a number of mountain peaks in the Rezang La region.
The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year after a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas with both sides gradually enhancing their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in February and in the Gogra area in August.
The last round of military talks on October 10 ended in a stalemate following which both sides blamed each other for the impasse.
