Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday offered tributes to the war heroes at the National War Memorial on the celebration of the 76th Republic Day. The PM led the country in paying solemn homage by laying a wreath at the memorial, accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff and the three Service Chiefs.
PM Modi was received at the National War Memorial by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. After the wreath-placing, the Guard Commander gave order for the ‘Salami Shastra’, followed by the ‘Shok Shastra’, after which the drummers sounded the ‘Last Post’.
The officers in uniform gave a salute while other dignitaries maintained a two-minute silence to offer the condolences the Martyrs.
The silence was shattered by the drummers sounding the ‘Rouse’, signalling the end of the two minutes of homage. The Guard Commander then ordered the ‘Salami Shastra’, concluding the ceremony.
The remarkable memorial in the India Gate complex was inaugurated by Modi in 2019. It is dedicated to war heroes killed during the India-China War in 1962, India-Pak wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka and during the Kargil Conflict in 1999, and also those in the UN peacekeeping missions.
National War Memorial comprises four concentric circles, namely — the ‘Amar Chakra’, ‘Veerta Chakra’, ‘Tyag Chakra’ and the ‘Rakshak Chakra’ with names of 25,942 soldiers written in golden letters on granite tablets.
