CHANDIGARH: For twenty years, the black granite blocks of the Chandigarh War Memorial stood frozen in time. Now, the roll of honour inscribed on the walls of the memorial is being updated, with 240 new names of brave hearts and martyrs being added to the list.
Dedicated to the nation by former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam on August 17, 2006, the Chandigarh War Memorial honours more than 8,500 martyrs from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty since Independence. It is said to be one of the largest post-Independence war memorials in the country. The memorial was designed by the Chandigarh College of Architecture and built by the Chandigarh Engineering Department, which is responsible for its security and maintenance.
The staff of the Zila Sainik Welfare Office also collected information on martyrs from the National War Memorial in New Delhi and authenticated each name against lists received from various records offices, ensuring their courage, sacrifice and stories are etched into history and remembered by generations to come. The exercise was undertaken after Deputy Commissioner-cum-President, Zila Sainik Board, Nishant Kumar Yadav, directed Col HS Ghuman (Retd), Zila Sainik Welfare Officer, to carry it out. Subsequently, the Engineering Department executed the engraving work.
A few among the new names engraved are those of Subedar Sanjiv Kumar of 4 Para (Special Forces), who was killed in action during Operation Rangdori Baihk in Kupwara sector, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 4, 2020, while leading a team of para commandos into snowbound terrain amid poor visibility against infiltrating terrorists. He was posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra, the nation’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award.
The memorial also includes the names of Naib Subedar Rajesh Kumar (Kirti Chakra), 30 RR/14 Mahar, and Shaurya Chakra awardees Sepoy Satnam Singh (1 RR/5 Mahar), Havildar Vipan Thakur (9 Para SF), GDSM Sunil Kumar (21 RR/10 Guards) and Naik Rajesh Kumar (1 Para SF), among others.
Col HS Ghuman (Retd), Zila Sainik Welfare Officer, Chandigarh, said this office took up the case with Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence and the Records offices of all Regiments for providing the latest list of martyrs, as since 2006, no new names of battle casualties had been added to the roll of honour.
The memorial, located in Bougainvillea Garden, Sector 3, is a simple, circular subterranean structure, with its base six feet below the surrounding ground level. At the centre is a three-point star-shaped edifice rising 22 feet, the only feature visible from the surrounding gardens. Meanwhile, the names of the martyrs are etched on black granite forming the outer walls.
The memorial was conceptualised by Lt Gen JFR Jacob (retd), who was Punjab Governor from 1999 to 2003 and earlier served as Chief of Staff, Eastern Command, during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. In June 2005, the foundation stone ceremony was laid when former Chief of the Army Staff Gen SF Rodrigues was Punjab Governor. Both Rodrigues and Jacob were Gunners.
