Olympian Shivpal Singh visits National War Memorial, pays tribute to martyrs

New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) Olympian Javelin thrower Shivpal Singh expressed reverence to the Indian soldiers who made supreme sacrifice after Independence at the National War Memorial in New Delhi on Thursday.

The athlete, who has been training in Sports Authority of India’s NS NIS Patiala Centre, paid tribute to Late Captain Manoj Pandey, Param Vir Chakra of the 1/11 Gorkha Rifles regiment, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, the same state as Singh.

The staff at the National War Memorial welcomed the Olympian and briefed him about the war memorial. Singh, who is also a Junior Warrant Officer with the Indian Air Force since 2016, was taken around the site by one of the Army Officials showing the names of armed forces personnel martyred during the various armed conflicts with Pakistan and China as well as other operations like the 1961 Goa operation, Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, and all counter-terrorism operations such as Operation Rakshak Operation Rhino, are inscribed on the memorial walls in golden letters.

“Being an Armed Forces personnel, this visit has really made me very emotional as this place serves as a remembrance to the spirit of devotion unto death that has always motivated Indian troops to fight to the last man and last bullet against all overwhelming odds. It’s because of these sacrifices, we are standing safe here,” Shivpal expressed.

Names of more than 26,000 martyrs are individually carved in each granite brick of the circular concentric walls of honour called the Tyag Chakra (Circle of Sacrifice). The National War Memorial is a monument dedicated to the Indian Armed Forces that holds a long tradition of unflinching loyalty, valour and sacrifice in the line of duty is located next to the India Gate as a heritage site for all the citizens of India.

–IANS

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