Laungewala battle has its memorial

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 29

The much-described “battle of Laungewala” fought during the 1971 India-Pakistan war now has a memorial for itself and that too at the very spot in Rajasthan where a small unit of the Army held its position in the face of an attack by a tank regiment of the Pakistan Army.

The battle that inspired Bollywood cult move ‘Border’, was fought on the intervening night of December 4 and 5 in 1971. A company — some 120 odd men — of the 23 Punjab Regiment led by Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, has stalled an attack of the Pakistan Army that was using tanks. Chandpuri was awarded the Mahavir Chakra and rose to the rank of a Brigadier.

“A war memorial has been constructed and inaugurated at the very site where the Pakistani offensive was blunted. Over 179 Pakistani soldiers were killed, wounded and 37 Pakistani tanks were destroyed,” Indian Army spokesperson Col Rohan Anand said.

The murals of the soldiers, whose supreme sacrifice led to victory in the Laungewala battle and the 106 mm recoilless gun (main anti-tank weapon) employed to destroy a number of Pakistani tanks occupy a place of pride in the memorial. The memorial also has a state-of-art audio-visual theatre for screening the movies on the battle. Located two hours away from Jaisalmer, the memorial is open seven days a week and the entry is free for visitors, Colonel Anand said.

Separately, the ‘Jaisalmer War Museum’ has been established in the Military Station of Jaisalmer to commemorate the sacrifice of war heroes. The museum was inaugurated by Lt Gen Ashok Singh, the Southern Army Commander, today.

The inauguration of the museum marks the Golden Jubilee Commemoration Year of 1965 Indo-Pak War. The Army had made gains in the desert sector during that war.

There are a large number of captured war trophies and own vintage equipment on display to include tanks, guns and military vehicles. The Indian Air Force has presented a Hunter aircraft for the museum, which was used during the Battle for Laungewala in 1971 Indo Pak War. The entry to the war museum is free for all visitors.