HYDERABAD: Imagine not being able to light up a single matchstick on a freezing cold night in order to be safe from being bombarded. Moving from one camp to another continuously while being bitten by poisonous snakes and scorpions in hot desert, our bravehearts have endured severe weather conditions and much more while fighting in the Kargil War.
As India marks the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26, we honour all the Indian soldiers who fought and sacrificed their lives for their nation. The Kargil War was fought to recapture all the Indian posts across the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kargil sector that were intruded by Pakistani troops. It lasted for three months, from May 1999 to July 1999, and the Indian Armed Forces made “Operation Vijay” successful. We have heard many stories of Kargil heroes. Here, Kargil war veterans Subedar (then Sepoy) S Venu Gopal Reddy and Havildar (Retd) Murli Krishna from Hyderabad share their experiences.
‘I was never scared’
Subedar S Venu Gopal Reddy, part of the 8 Mountain Division, was engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley at the time. He was inducted into the Kargil Sector and was assigned the responsibility of conducting operations in the Dras and Mushko Valley Sub-Sectors. Sub Reddy, who was in charge of the store department, recalls, “We were deployed from Srinagar to move further towards Dras as soon as we received information about some disturbance in early May 1999. After passing through Sonmarg, our vehicle passed through Zoji La Pass, which is dangerously prone to landslides, especially in May and June. However, as soon as I stepped outside the vehicle in Dras, I felt the temperature dropping (it can drop as low as -45 to -50 degrees Celsius). It was freezing with low oxygen levels, and there was not a single tree in sight. We didn’t even have proper winter clothes. Our head clearly told us on the spot, ‘Don’t even think to go back.’”
They moved further towards Kargil after a few days. “While posted at Zero Point, which is in the Pakistan range, we could make and eat food till 3 pm; after that, we were strictly ordered not to even light up a single matchstick, or else we would be bombed at that very moment,” mentions Subedar Reddy. Sleeping under the cover of mountains and witnessing the remains of gun firing every morning, which used to start around 12 am and last until 4 am, became a ‘daily routine’. “It was like Diwali,” says Subedar Reddy. “Pakistani troops were on top of the hill, and we were right below the hill. However, everything was coming under our control, though many of our soldiers went missing. We saw and handled a lot of casualties and dead bodies of both Indian and Pakistani troops. I don’t even remember how many casualties I saw during that time. I thought, now it’s my turn! But I was never scared. After fighting for three months straight with ‘josh’, on July 26, 1999, we were informed that Kargil was under our control,” he adds. Subedar Reddy received a “Commendation Card” for his contribution in the Kargil War.
‘Many of us got bit by snakes and scorpions’
Havildar (Retd) B Murli Krishna was in the 654 EME (Electronics and Mechanical Engineers) Battalion, posted in the Western Sector, Rajasthan. “We were in charge of going to war zones and repairing technical equipment, like tanks, vehicles, devices, and weapons. We provided continuous support from the back,” recalls Havildar (Retd) Krishna. “Our forces were put on standby in Rajasthan, even after the war was declared over. I was deployed in Rajasthan for 18 months without any leave,” he adds. There were extreme challenges, “Due to some external threat, our unit used to move to new places almost every night. We were in constant motion. It was all desert; there were scorpions and snakes, then hot weather and water problems. Many of us got bit by these snakes and scorpions,” shares Havildar (Retd) Krishna.
An Indian soldier never looks back; for them, ‘national security matters the most’. The dedication, valour, and selfless sacrifice of our bravehearts inspire generations. “It hurts to see a military person; after serving their nation for years, after retirement, they are stuck with jobs like security guards; once that person was operating missiles,” shares Havildar (Retd) Krishna.
