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Kargil Vijay Diwas 2023: 24 Years On War Veteran Recalls Tiger Hill And Tololing’s Capture

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24 years and the memories of the Kargil War are still fresh for the then Commanding Officer (CO) Brig Kushal Thakur (retd) of the 18 Grenadiers battalion that captured Tiger Hill and Tololing during the war. “I am filled with nostalgia and pride to think of all courageous men who fought with the utmost sincerity and patriotism to bring glory not only to themselves but also to their platoons.”

Now retired, the officer recounts the exceptional grit and courage of 18 Grenadiers that pushed back the enemy from the highest peak in the Dras sector and unfurled the Tricolour on the mountaintop of July 4, 1999.

“During the war, 18 Grenadiers were assigned the task of recapturing two prominent peaks of Tololing and Tiger Hill in the Dras sector. We had already captured Tololing on June 13-14, but the latter was a tough task,” recalls the officer, who was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal.

An extraordinary operation 

Tiger Hill was a majestic mountainous feature at a height of 17,500 feet dominating observation that during the war interfered with the movement of troops and logistics taking place on the Srinagar-Leh Highway.

The unit employed a strategy that was the most difficult and unsuspected approach to gain the element of surprise. It was a three-pronged attack with a hook to snap the enemy supply lines and use battalion commandos, Ghataks. The heavy shelling of Indian artillery shook the enemy’s defensive position and Ghataks led by Lieutenant Balwan and Havildar Yogender Singh Yadav attacked from the rear, as positioned.

“This was the most difficult strategy ever employed on an open battlefield. There was no information about the number and weapons of the enemy. We were only told about five to six Mujahideens. We captured Tiger Hill on the early morning of July 4,” says the officer. India was in a full-fledged war after over two decades. And other than the fact that the battalion was transported in a few days of preparation, there were logistic challenges. Lack of equipment, high-altitude warfare preparations, acclimatisation and of course, artillery support. 

“As my platoon of 18 Grenadiers advanced to attack Tololing, enemy sniper fire, machine gun and rocket fire and artillery fire became more and more intense. Seeing the seriousness of the situation, I asked for the help of helicopter fire from Brigade Commander Brigadier A.N Aul. As we moved forward, we came to know that a company of Pakistan’s North Light Infantry was barricaded with heavy weapons above Tololing,” he says.

Tololing and Point 5140 were attacked with the help of Cheetah helicopters on 24 May, and MI 17 gunship helicopters from 26 to 28 May. Major Rajesh Adhikari guided the pilots of the helicopters over the target and also fired with the machine gun himself, but due to the high altitude and the enemy moving in a reverse slope, the fire of the helicopter and the machine gun did not prove to be effective,” he recalled and shared a video clip of ’50 days of Kargil War’.

He recalls that the enemy had put up such a heavy barrage that on May 27, 1999, an MI 17 helicopter was shot down by a stinger missile and all its crew were martyred. “Soon after that, the Air Force stopped all low-level ground helicopter attacks in the Kargil war. Despite all these challenges, the brave soldiers of the platoon stood firm and kept moving forward,” says Brigadier Thakur.

Setting an example of courage

No war is complete without taking a blow. While Indian soldiers inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy, Nine Indian soldiers were martyred in the battle and 20 were injured. “I lost two of my brave officers besides two JCOs and 21 other ranks. The unit was supported by brave soldiers of 8 Sikh,” recalls the officer.

It is this courage and sacrifice that the Tricolour flew atop Tiger Hill on July 4, 1999. For their tenacity and unparalleled valour on the battlefield, 18 Grenadiers were honoured with a total of 52 gallantry awards, including Param Vir Chakra, two Maha Vir Chakra, six Vir Chakra and 16 Sena Medal (Gallantry), besides many other honours.

The unit was also awarded Theatre Honour Kargil, Battle Honour (Tiger Hill and Tololing) by the then President and Unit Citation by the then Army Chief General Ved Malik. In addition, every year July 26 is observed as Vijay Divas to commemorate the Kargil victory in Dras.

“As the CO of 18 Grenadiers, I had seen the professionalism of my men in counter-insurgency operations from where we were ordered to move to the heights of Kargil almost overnight. Though, every unit trains its men for conventional operations and yet when one encounters it, one can never be too prepared,” he added.

Entertainment

‘Yeh Kaisa Insaan Hai’: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy Slams ‘Pushpa 2’ Star Allu Arjun For Stampede During Screening 

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Hyderabad: Despite police permission being denied, top Telugu actor Allu Arjun attended the theatre where ‘Pushpa-2’ was screened on December 4, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy charged on Saturday.

Even after the death of a woman in a stampede, the actor did not leave the cinema hall, prompting the police to force him out, CM alleged.

Responding to the issue after AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi raised it in the Assembly, Reddy, referring to videos in circulation, found fault with Allu Arjun for holding a roadshow and waving to the crowds in spite of the heavy crowd.

Reddy further said the theatre management gave a letter to the police on December 2 seeking security for the visit of top actors and others on December 4. However, the police rejected the application, citing difficulties in crowd management.

Before entering the theatre and exiting, the actor stood through the sunroof of his car and waved to the crowds leading to thousands of fans jostling to get a glimpse of him, he said.

He slammed film personalities for making a beeline for Allu Arjun’s residence to meet him after his arrest but not showing empathy to visit the boy who is undergoing treatment in hospital after suffering injuries in the incident.

“I appeal to the top film personalities that they should not be inhuman,” he said.

He also said there won’t be any special privileges when untoward incidents like death in a stampede happen and said the government would not spare those who troubled common people.

A 35-year-old woman died and her eight-year-old son was hospitalised on December 4 during a stampede-like situation at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad when thousands of fans jostled to have a glimpse of the actor at the premiere of the blockbuster ‘Pushpa 2,’.

Following the incident, the city police registered a case against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under different sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Chikkadpally police station based on the complaint lodged by the deceased woman’s family.

Allu Arjun was arrested by the city police in connection with the death of the woman on December 13. The Telangana High Court granted him a four-week interim bail on the same day and he was released from the prison here on December 14 morning.

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National News

Conscience itself will deliver justice: Shivakumar on obscene remark row

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Bengaluru, Dec 21: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar said on Saturday that conscience itself will deliver justice in the derogatory remark case against BJP MLC C. T. Ravi.

The Deputy Chief Minister’s remark came close on the heels of the release of Ravi, who was arrested over alleged derogatory remark against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar.

On Ravi’s allegations that police harassed him throughout the night, Shivakumar told reporters: “In this matter, you and the police are involved. Whether it’s at his house or his party, I am the cause of everything.”

“Let the BJP accept that disrespecting women and using abusive language is their culture. We will not object,” said Shivakumar.

“C.T. Ravi has not only spoken disrespectfully about Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar but also about CM Siddaramaiah. In the Assembly, he used the term ‘Nitya Sumangali’ (a Kannada term used to demean a woman). BJP leaders must introspect whether Ravi’s remark was right or wrong,” he claimed.

“Chikkamagaluru (native place of Ravi) is known for its cultured people. Unfortunately, someone like him hails from there,” he added.

“If any leader from our party had spoken like this, I would have condemned it. However, BJP leaders are standing in defence of their leader,” he claimed.

State Home Minister G. Parameshwara said, “The matter is before the court. I won’t issue any statements as the matter is sub-judice. It is not appropriate to discuss the issue.”

“The police claim that they have initiated steps lawfully. The matter is before the court and they will decide what is right and what is wrong. I have been told that while obtaining information on various circumstances, the judgment has come without asking the version of police. Now, we can’t comment or criticise the decision,” Parameshwara stated.

When asked about the Legislative Council Chairperson Basavaraj Horatti stating that there are no records of Ravi making derogatory remark, Minister Parameshwara said that he does not know anything.

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BRS MLAs will resign if Congress proves 24-hour power claim: KTR

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Hyderabad, Dec 21: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K. T. Rama Rao on Saturday told the Telangana State Assembly that all BRS MLAs will resign if the Congress government proves that it is supplying 24-hour electricity to farmers or that it has waived loans of all farmers.

He alleged that the Congress government is making false claims that it is giving round-the-clock uninterrupted power.

Throwing the challenge during the debate on Rythu Bharosa, the BRS leader told Minister for Roads and Buildings Komatireddy Venkat Reddy that he was ready to come with him to Nalgonda district. “If you can show us even in one log book that 24-hour power is being supplied, all we MLAs will resign,” he said.

Similarly, KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly called, also offered to accompany the minister to any village in Kodangal or Sircilla constituency to check on farm loan waivers. “If you can show that loans of 100 per cent farmers were waived even one village, I will resign as MLA and take retirement from politics,” he said.

The BRS leader slammed the Congress government for not properly implementing the Rythu Bandhu scheme launched by the previous BRS government.

KTR said Congress promised enhanced investment support to farmers under Rythu Bharosa but failed to provide the assistance even under the existing scheme.

He claimed that the BRS started Rythu Bandhu to increase the area under cultivation. Citing the statement made by the government, he said the area under cultivation in the state increased from 1.41 crore acres in 2019-20 to 2.04 crore acres in 2020-21.

KTR mentioned that when the BRS came to power in 2014, Telangana had the second-highest number of farmer suicides in the country. He claimed that due to the measures taken by the BRS during the last 10 years, the farmer suicides came down from 11.1 per cent to 1.5 per cent.

The BRS leader alleged that the government was planning to impose cuts under the Rythu Bharosa scheme.

He demanded that the Assembly session be extended by 10 days for a comprehensive debate on electricity, irrigation, and Mission Bhagiratha.

The debate saw a sharp exchange of words and challenges and counter-challenges between BRS and Congress MLAs.

Minister Venkat Reddy threw a challenge at the BRS, saying if it could prove that every household was supplied drinking water under Mission Bhagiratha during its rule, he would not seek votes in the next elections.

He alleged that there was Rs 50,000 crore corruption under Mission Bhagiratha. To this, BRS MLA and former minister Harish Rao mentioned that the total cost of the scheme was only Rs 28,000 crore.

Earlier, Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao said the government has not yet formulated the guidelines. He said the guidelines will be framed after taking suggestions from the legislators.

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