VIDYANAND HOIST THE TRICOLOUR ON 17,000 FEET PEACK

VIDYANAND HOIST THE TRICOLOUR ON 17,000 FEET PEACK

26-JULY-ENG 6

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA-----------------------------Today the whole of India is celebrating Kargil Vijay Diwas. The way the brave sons of our country defeated Pakistan in the 1999 war. Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on 26 July to commemorate this victory.

16 sons of Bihar had given martyrdom: Many of our soldiers were martyred in the Kargil war. Bihar is called the land of sacrifice. In this war also 16 sons of Bihar had attained martyrdom. One of those 16 brave sons was Lance Naik Vidyanand Singh of Bihar Regiment

Date 6 June, 1999 Bihar Battalion was given the responsibility of liberating the peak of Batalik sector situated at a height of 17 thousand feet on the border of Dras in Kargil. Because the Pakistanis had infiltrated there. Vidyanand Singh was also in the battalion.

Recalling that time, Vidyanand Singh's cousin Ram Prasad Singh says, "20 soldiers were given the responsibility of capturing this peak. When these people started moving forward, firing started from Pakistan. In this firing, 6 bullets hit Vidyanand Singh and he was martyred. Along with him, 18 more soldiers were martyred."

The Batalik sector was very important for India for the security of that highway, which was under the control of Pakistan. Indian soldiers started climbing the hill on 6 June 1999 and reached the peak on the night of 9 June. However, during this time a total of 19 brave Indian sons sacrificed their lives. This fight continued until the Indian Army captured this peak.

On 9 June 1999, the body of martyr Vidyanand Singh was brought to Patna. He was cremated with state honors. After this, he was posthumously awarded the Army Medal for his extraordinary courage and bravery in protecting the nation.

The people of the district feel proud: That is why even today, the people of the district feel proud by paying homage to martyr Vidyanand of Bhojpur, who happily lost his life to protect the country during the Kargil war. The people of the district feel proud by remembering this brave son.

Martyr Vidyanand Singh was born on 12 January 1966 in Panpura, a small village in Sandesh police station area of Bhojpur district. His father Sakaldeep Singh and mother Laxmina Devi belonged to a simple farmer family. His uncle Late Chandradeep Singh and his cousin brother Ram Prasad Singh were also in the Indian Army.

Inspired by his uncle and his brother, Vidyanand Singh also decided to join the Indian Army. Cousin Ram Prasad Singh says, Vidyanand Singh joined the Indian Army in 1985. Before being posted in Kargil, he was posted in Nagaland. Before the Kargil war, Vidyanand had also fought bravely against Naga rebels.

At present, the martyr's wife Parvati Devi lives in Hazaribagh with her entire family. A petrol pump has been allotted in the name of his wife. Which runs in Hazaribagh under the name of Kargil Point. An NGO also runs in the name of Shaheed Vidyanand Singh Educational and Social Foundation.

Both his sons do business in Hazaribagh itself, which earns their livelihood. Remembering his father, Shivshankar, son of Shaheed Vidyanand Singh, says, "I don't remember much about him. But as much as I read in books or hear from my mother, he was very brave. He also wanted to send us to serve the country."

Let us tell you that a martyr's memorial was built in the memory of Vidyanand Singh in his village Panpura in the year 2003. Where he is remembered every year on Martyrdom Day. Anyway, Bhojpur is a land of heroes, its sons never turned their back. Brave warrior Babu Kunwar Singh single-handedly defeated the British.