50th Vijay Diwas observed at Army's Eastern Command hq in Kolkata

In a memorial service on Thursday on the occasion of 50th Vijay Diwas celebrations, martyrs of the 1971 war were remembered at Army's Eastern Command Headquarter in Kolkata.

Kolkata: Martyrs of the 1971 war were remembered in a memorial service here on Thursday on the occasion of 50th Vijay Diwas celebrations, which mark India's victory over Pakistan.

Bangladesh, then part of Pakistan, became an independent country after the war.

Wreaths were laid by war veterans, next of kin of those who fought for the country, Army commanders of the three services and Lt General Manoj Pande, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command.

As buglers sounded the 'Last Post' and 'Rouse' from the rampart behind the magnificent edifice of the memorial at Fort William, the headquarters of the Army's Eastern Command, participants observed two minutes' silence to pay homage to all those who died in the fight.

Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall (retd) Arup Raha, Lt General (retd) J R Mukerji and Lt General (retd) Praveen Bakshi were among the retired officers who paid floral tributes at the Vijay Smarak.

Kolkata Police Commissioner Soumen Mitra was also present at the event.

The Army, which had lined up several functions during the week to commemorate the golden jubilee of the 1971 victory, has cancelled many of those following the demise of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 12 other officers in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu earlier this month.

PTI