25 years of Kargil War: Captain Akhilesh Saxena, who was a part of 2 Rajputana Rifles during the Kargil war, says that in those days our unit was deployed between Tangmarg and Gulmarg. Suddenly one day we were told that Pakistani intruders were trying to gain a foothold in the hills of Kargil. Pakistani intruders sitting in the hills were continuously targeting Indian Army convoys passing through National Highway 1. Due to which it was not possible to send logistics and weapons forward.
As soon as we got the order, we marched towards Srinagar. Till that time we had no idea that we were going for a war. I was walking in the front of the vehicle in my jeep. As soon as my jeep entered the Drass sector, two to three grenades fell at a distance of just a few feet. This attack forced us to think how such accurate information about our movement was reaching the intruders. Meanwhile, my companion told me that sir… the enemy has reached the Tololing hills visible in front.
Also read: The enemy was sitting at a height of 17,995 feet, the Indian soldiers were directly targeted by MMG, a big decision was taken on 24 May, then… With the intention of capturing Siachen Glacier and Leh-Ladakh, the Pakistani army had set up its strategy between Maskoh and Batalik sector in the guise of infiltrators. The enemy’s intention was to capture National Highway-1 and cut off this area from the rest of India. But… To know the entire story of the Kargil war and what happened when, read here Click Do it.
He told me that the enemy has come so close that they can easily see every activity happening below the hill. While asking similar questions to my fellow soldier, I reached my new base. After reaching the base, we were given the responsibility of finishing off the enemy sitting on the hills of Tololing and hoisting the Indian flag again. Along with this, we were also told that two attempts have been made to capture Tololing. Both the attempts have not only failed, but a large number of officers and soldiers have also been martyred.
We were also told that Major Vikas Adhikari, who had set out to conquer Tololing, had also attained martyrdom. His body is still in the hills of Tololing. On hearing this, our blood boiled. For us, the respect for the body of a comrade who made the supreme sacrifice for the country is more important than our own lives. Two groups were prepared for the attack. We started making a strategy to bring down the body of Major Vikas Adhikari, who had attained martyrdom, along with the elimination of the enemy sitting in the hills of Tololing.
Also read: Those 63 Param-Maha-Veer of Kargil, every day wrote a new chapter of bravery, crushed the pride of the enemy… The brave soldiers of Kashmir Rifles and Rajputana Rifles of Indian Army were among those who received the most medals for bravery in the Kargil war. To know which officer of which regiment of Indian Army got which medal for bravery in the Kargil war, visit Click Do it.
The attack was not easy for us either. There was a steep slope of 70 to 75 degrees in front. There was no support of any big rock or any other thing after a certain distance to hide from the enemy on the entire way, so that we could protect ourselves from the enemy’s bullets. Apart from this, the enemy had a direct eye on the activities happening in front. The enemy’s MMG could target a person standing several kilometers away. Also, the enemy sitting at a higher altitude had automatically increased many times. In such a situation, we all knew that this attack was like embracing death itself.
Despite all the challenges, we decided to move forward. As soon as we moved forward, a shower of enemy bullets started coming towards us. Since we can understand which weapon was used to fire bullets by listening to the sound of bullets, seeing the bullets coming from the front and their accuracy, we understood that the enemy in front was not a brainwashed terrorist, but a trained army. Then we understood that we were facing trained soldiers of the Pakistani army disguised as infiltrators.
Also read: Those 21 dates of Kargil war, which changed the entire direction of Operation Vijay, Pakistan’s nefarious plans were destroyed… Kargil Vijay Diwas 2024: The brave soldiers of the Indian Army turned the almost impossible battle into a victory with their valor and war skills. During the Kargil war, those 21 dates were very special, which witnessed the changing direction of the war. To know what were those dates and what happened on those dates Click Do it.
After this information, we prepared our strategy once again. We decided to reach the designated place during the day. After that we had to wait for the night. And the final attack was to happen at night. Along with this, we asked for artillery support from Bofors from the base, so that the enemy could be suppressed. As per the plan, we had reached our first target. Now we had to wait for the night. After reaching our first target, we also came to know that the enemy had also laid landmines in the entire area.
In such a situation, attacking at night was a bit difficult, but we decided to move ahead as per our strategy. As soon as we got the support of Bofors Artillery, we attacked the enemy and succeeded in reaching their bunker. We kept fighting the enemy continuously for three days. At 4 am on June 13, victory was in our hands and we brought the enemy to their end. Along with this, we hoisted the Indian national flag on the peaks of Tololing at 4 am on June 13.
Tags: Kargil day, kargil war
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 25, 2024, 15:30 IST