Infantry Day 2022: Exactly 75 years ago, troops of the Army's 1 Sikh Regiment had arrived at the old airfield of Srinagar, carried in Dakota aircraft, to protect Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistani forces.
It was the first military operation of Independent India, a move that changed the course of the 1947-48 War.
The first of the Indian Army soldiers dispatched for the mission had landed at the dusty airfield on October 27, 1947 to repulse Pakistani forces.
This day is celebrated as Infantry Day by the Army to commemorate the historic event.
To mark the landmark occasion, the Army hosted 'Shaurya Diwas' at the old airfield of Srinagar (Budgam airfield).
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, among others, attended the event at the Air Force Station in Srinagar to mark the 75th anniversary of Infantry Day.
Some of the key scenes of the historic landings were reenacted there to mark the landmark occasion.
At the venue, huge cut-outs of Brig Rajinder Singh, Brig Mohd Usman, Maj Somnath Sharma and Maqbool Sherwani were mounted, and 'Shaurya Diwas' posters were put up.
Many guests wore special badges, bearing an image of Sherwani and a tagline 'You are Maqbool Sherwani' to pay tribute to the young Kashmiri who had helped the Indian armed forces during the war.
Usha Parmar, the octogenarian daughter of Brig Rajinder Singh, and family members of other martyrs also attended the event.
The defence minister felicitated her and other next of kin of 1947 war martyrs on the occasion.
Defence Minister Singh, in his address, heaped praises on the martyrs and other heroes of the 1947 war, and also commended the crucial contribution made by the people of Jammu and Kashmir in driving out Pakistani infiltrators to protect the territorial integrity of the country.
Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande; GOC-in-C, Northern Command Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi; Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command Air Marshal S Prabhakaran; General Officer Commanding, 15 Corps Lt Gen ADS Aujla, along with several other civil and military dignitaries attended the event.
Earlier in the day, the Army in a tweet said, “'Infantry–The Ultimate'. General Manoj Pande #COAS and All Ranks of #IndianArmy convey best wishes to all ranks, #Veterans, #VeerNaris and families of the #Infantry on the occasion of 76th #InfantryDay."
It also shared a short video clip showcasing the strength of the infantry, and also some archival footage. The Srinagar-based Chinar Corps also took to Twitter to convey its wishes on the landmark occasion.
"#ChinarCorps extends greetings and best wishes to all ranks, veterans, veer naris and families of #Infantry on the occasion of 76th #InfantryDay.
We salute the courage, valour and sacrifice of our infantrymen in line of duty for the Nation," it tweeted.
The Dakota, a Douglas DC-3 aircraft, which had carried the first forces personnel, was also displayed on the occasion.
Douglas DC-3 aircraft, better known as the Dakota, carried the troops of the Army's 1 Sikh Regiment to Srinagar on October 27, 1947, during the first India-Pak War, besides carrying supplies and refugees.
The Army had landed at the airfield after the 'instrument of accession' was signed on October 26, 1947, between the then Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir Hari Singh and the Union of India.
The reenactment of the historic event was to pay obeisance to the brave soldiers and people of Jammu and Kashmir who laid down their lives, and also to honour the next of kin of war heroes who participated in the 1947-48 war, an official said.
Under command of Lieutenant Colonel Dewan Ranjit Rai, who later laid down his life at Baramulla, the course of the war changed, wherein people and soldiers of State Forces of Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Army fought alongside valiantly, to evict Pakistani forces, driving them out of most of Jammu and Kashmir till ceasefire on January 5, 1949, the Army had earlier said.
