Every year on July 26, Kargil Vijay Diwas, also known as Kargil Victory Day, is celebrated to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1999 war. The day remembers the courage and sacrifices made by Indian soldiers throughout the gruelling and protracted conflict.
In 1971, the two neighbouring nations engaged in a violent struggle that led to the creation of Bangladesh and ever since, tensions between the two nations have persisted. Although there haven’t been many direct battles, they have been setting up military outposts on the neighbouring mountain ranges in an effort to gain control of the Siachen Glacier.

When both countries conducted nuclear tests in 1998, the situation worsened. They agreed to the Lahore Declaration, which sought a peaceful, bilateral resolution to the Kashmir problem, in order to reduce the tension. However, in the Drass and Batalik Sectors of Kargil, Ladakh, the Pakistani armed forces secretly trained and sent men to breach the Line of Control (LOC) and occupy fortified positions that overlooked NH 1A to gain control over local military and civilian movements.

Significance of the day

The Indian soldiers initially thought the intruders were terrorists or “jihadis” with a radical aim. But as things went on, it became clear that the attack was part of a bigger, more planned scheme. As a result, the Indian side was forced to strike back and send almost 200,000 Indian troops into the area. 527 troops from the Indian Army died during the Kargil War. On July 26, 1999, the Pakistani army was compelled to withdraw from their captured positions, indicating India’s victory. In order to respect and remember the ultimate sacrifice given by the soldiers during the conflict, this day has since been designated as Kargil conflict Diwas.

Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar, recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, was recently a guest on a Sunday flight operated by IndiGo. The flight crew congratulated the combat hero before takeoff as he flew in a plane headed for Pune. A video of it was posted by Indigo to its Twitter account. Captain Edsel could be seen in the video providing the flying instructions before welcoming Mr Kumar on board and sharing his experience fighting a battle at the border. The airline staff gave Mr Kumar a tiny gift.

The captain announced, “Today, we have a very special person with us…we have Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar ji, a recipient of the Param Vir Chakra.” “Flying with a hero: Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar ji, a Living Param Veer Chakra awardee,” Indigo wrote in a tweet.

Flying with a hero: Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar ji, a Living Param Veer Chakra awardee! #goIndiGo #IndiaByIndiGo pic.twitter.com/CZsqlHxRj6

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) July 23, 2023

The Param Vir Chakra was given to Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar, then a rifleman and a citizen of Himachal Pradesh, for his role as the attacking column’s leading scout at Point 4875 in the Mushkoh Valley during Operation Vijay of the 1999 Kargil war, according to the Ministry of Defence website. He received a promotion to Subedar Major in February 2022. In 1996, he enlisted in the Indian Army and was assigned to the 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. He received a promotion to Subedar Major in 2022.
The opposition, however, obstructed the column’s advance.

The Defence Ministry, on its website, said, “With complete disregard for his personal safety, Rifleman Kumar displayed conspicuous courage as he charged at the enemy. In the subsequent physical combat, he fought the enemy and killed three of the enemy soldiers. He sustained grave injuries but did not yield and attacked the second sangar. The attack came as a surprise to the enemy and they fled leaving behind one universal machine gun (UMG). He picked up the UMG and shot at the fleeing enemy soldier. Although, he was profusely bleeding, he denied being evacuated and continued to charge at the enemy. His gallant action and fortitude motivated his fellow mates and despite the difficulties of fighting in treacherous terrain our troops were successful in seizing the area Flat Top from the enemy.”