​Kargil Vijay Diwas 2024: All you need to know about the day​

​It was in 1999, when a few brave souls gave it their all to protect the country. July 26 marks the victory of our Indian soldiers who fought fiercely and bravely against the enemies who were trying to harm the sovereignty of India. Indian soldiers defeated the Pakistani army in the Kargil War of 1999. This day is a reminder of the sacrifices of our soldiers who stay awake at the borders so that we can sleep safely and peacefully in our homes. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Drass in Ladakh.


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The rocky relationship between India and Pakistan, following the years of partition and simultaneous Independence, boiled down to this war in 1999. The time period saw major conflicts which included- the annexations of some parts of Kashmir(now known as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or POK), the 17 day war in 1965 and the creation of a new country called Bangladesh. In 1998 with the two countries testing their nuclear weapons, the situation worsened further. To work towards a peaceful understanding in the Kashmir issue, in February 1999 Lahore Declaration was signed. However, in a breach of this peace understanding, the Pakistani army infiltrated Jammu and Kashmir and occupied strategic positions.

In May,1999 Indian Army launched Operation Vijay. The soldiers had to maneuver through tough terrains of Kargil district to fight the Pakistani army who had already occupied key and strategic positions in the mountains. The battles fought between them were intense, but the Indian army came out victorious on July 26.

In this war, according to the Indian records the casualties on the Indian side was 527, while that on the Pakistani side was between 357-453. On the Indian side Captain Saurabh Kalia was martyred while being kept as a prisoner of war by the Pakistani army. Captain was patrolling on the fortnight of May in 1999, when he was captured along with 5 more soldiers. All were tortured and killed in captivity.

The soldiers in the war fought bravely. This is the day to remember them for their sacrifice. Some of these soldiers include- Captain Vikram Batra, who led his team to recapture Pint 4875 even after getting injured, Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey, who played a crucial role in fighting the enemy positions, Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav who contributed to India’s battle at Tiger Hill, and Major Rajesh Adhikari, who helped capture a bunker at Tololing.

Kargil War of 1999, was the first war which was televised. The coverage of the war started with grainy images of Bofors Guns, marching soldiers and innocent press briefings from the army. Soon, as the viewership skyrocketed the media got more intrusive and reporters lined up to get the real live footage of war. Some say this coverage did the Indian army more harm than good. The reporters had established a good rapport with the army but soon the army realized their fault. The media had leaked the date of attack on Tiger Hill, 3 days before it was supposed to happen.