Lest we forget: A Website pays tribute to 12,000 martyrs
Over 3,000 soldiers had laid down their lives in 1971, too.
BENGALURU: The 1999 Kargil conflict cost India over 527 soldiers. The casualty ratio of 10:1 was heavily tilted in favour of the Pakistanis, who targeted Indian troops with such precision that 25 soldiers were hit directly in the eye. Over 3,000 soldiers had laid down their lives in 1971, too. Little is known about these heroes, although Honourpoint, an online platform that was flagged off in April this year, pays tribute to all those who died in the line of duty. Profiles of over 12,438 soldiers have been uploaded on the website.
The idea first took seed in the mind of M.A. Afroz, a retired Wing Commander, whose family has had a long history of service in the armed forces. “My father served in the army and my wife was in the Air Force. Two years ago, I felt I should do something for my Fauji community as there is no single memorial that caters to all our martyrs since 1947. This online tribute is the least we can do,” said Wing Commander Afroz.
Gathering information proved an intense process, which took him over two years to complete. Wing Commander Afroz joined hands with two other retired senior officers of the IAF: Wing Commander Rajendra Prasad and Wing Commander L.K. Chabey, to trawl through whatever information was available in the public domain. Honourpoint’s social media page celebrates the birthdays of atleast two martyrs every day.