Hyderabad: Lieutenant Colonel Boppana Shashikanth (retd) and family members of armed forces personnel who fought in the Kargil War spoke to Deccan Chronicle about the war on its 25th anniversary which will be celebrated nationwide on Friday.
”It was on May 25, 1999, and I received a phone call on the secure Army Net from my Commanding Officer, instructing me to move to Dras where Pakistani incursions in Kargil district were detected a few weeks before. Within two hours, in 25 odd trucks, we mobilised”, he said.
“After a few days of acclimatisation at Ghumri, we reached Dras. My expertise is with mines, explosives, construction of bunkers, operational tracks and bridges. We stayed at Mushkoh at the base of Point 4875. In the Dras sector, after analysing the intelligence inputs and air photos, operations were launched, and Tololing was captured on June 28, 29. Major Padmapani Acharya from Hyderabad was martyred along with two other officers and many men. The next attack immediately was on Tiger Hill which was captured on July 4.”
“With thunderous guns blazing in the dark, it was a sight to see. It must have sent shivers down the spines of the enemies”, Lt Col Shashikanth said.
“Point 4875 needed to be cleared and captured. Pakistanis have been holding it very strongly, despite losing all other locations, as it was their last bastion. 12 Mahar,13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles,17 Jat and 2 Naga infantry regiments were launched into attack on July 5.”
He said, “The battle raged fiercely for over three days. During the war, our jawans raced up the steep rocky mountains with war cries 'Jai Hanuman, Jat Balwan', 'Har Har Mahadev'. They were least concerned about their own safety, despite knowing well that about half of them would surely suffer death or bullet wounds. Hundreds of casualties occurred on our side, along with two brave officers, Capt Vikram Batra and Capt Anuj Nayyar. But on July 7, victory was ours.”
A family member of a martyr, who wished to be unnamed, said "Despite my father not being with me physically, I always felt his presence with me. I am not sad about it, rather I am proud that he gave his life for India."
Speaking of some moments in the war, Lt Col Shashikanth (retd) said “Captain Anuj Nayyar, who was engaged and was to get married in September of 1999, handed over his watch and engagement ring to my friend Major H.S. Madan, saying that he will take them once he is back. That never happened. These two items were sent back along with the mortal remains of the brave soldier.”
