Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, July 25

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was forced to alter his travel plans on Saturday after bad weather prevented his helicopter from flying directly to Drass, prompting him to land in Srinagar before continuing by road to the Kargil War Memorial.

Singh had been scheduled to fly directly to Drass to attend events marking the 27th anniversary of India’s victory in the 1999 Kargil conflict. But deteriorating weather conditions disrupted the planned helicopter journey, officials said.

The Defence Minister landed at Srinagar International Airport, where he was received by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Lieutenant General Balbir Singh, the General Officer Commanding of the Army’s 15 Corps.

After a brief halt in Srinagar, Singh proceeded by road towards Drass, officials said, with the change in itinerary not expected to affect the broader schedule of the commemorative programme.

The two-day Kargil Vijay Diwas programme began in Drass on Saturday, with the Army scheduled to host a Shaurya Sandhya at the Kargil War Memorial. Singh is due to attend the event as chief guest, which will honour soldiers who were killed during Operation Vijay.

The commemorations will culminate on Sunday with the formal observance of Kargil Vijay Diwas and a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial.

Singh is expected to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in the presence of Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth, senior military commanders, war veterans, Veer Naris and Veer Matas, as well as families of soldiers killed in the conflict.

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and other dignitaries are also expected to attend the ceremony.

The programme will include a presentation titled “Gaurav Gatha”, recalling the battles fought by Indian troops on the high-altitude and rugged terrain of Kargil, followed by the inauguration of a Virtual Walkthrough Portal dedicated to the Kargil War Memorial.

The digital initiative is intended to give visitors an immersive account of the history of the memorial and the 1999 conflict.

Singh will also visit the Hut of Remembrance and address the gathering at the memorial helipad, according to the programme.

The commemorations will conclude with the flag-in ceremony of the “Shaurya Vijay Yatra”, a motorcycle expedition that began at the National War Memorial in New Delhi and is scheduled to culminate in Drass.

Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed each year on July 26 to commemorate the conclusion of Operation Vijay in 1999, when Indian forces recaptured strategic positions occupied by Pakistani troops during the conflict.

The annual commemorations in Drass serve as a tribute to the soldiers who fought and died in the war and as a reminder of the military operation that ended with India’s recapture of the occupied heights.