(MOREPIC1) Raj Sadosh/Abohar.
The First Death Anniversary of Colonel Dharam Vir, Hero of the Battle of Laungewala 1971 Indo-Pak War was commemorated on Tuesday.
Colonel Dharam Vir was born at Ghudani Kalan village in Ludhiana district and passed away on 16 May 2022 at his residence in Gurgaon, at the age of 76 after a prolonged illness.
Remembering his father on this sombre occasion, Lt Col Gaurav Bhakhri son of Col Dharam Vir talked about the account of Battle of Laungewala and said, “The intimation as told by my father about the advance and intrusion of Pak forces towards Laungewala was initially not believed and none in the Army Hierarchy had imagined in wildest of dreams that such major offensive could be planned by Pakistan.(SUBHEAD)
It was only after repetitive assurance given by my father, Captain Dharam Vir, that the cognizance was taken and further course of action was planned. Role played by then Captain Dharam Vir was significant leading to decisive victory in the Battle, which also led to the subsequent epic surrender by Pak forces in the 1971-War ''.
Colonel Dharam Vir's role was depicted by Akshay Khanna in the famous movie ‘Border’ which was based on the battle of Laungewala.
It was one of the deadliest tank battles in the history of warfare as the enemy had plans to capture Jaisalmer and ultimately Jodhpur. A number of articles and publications including mention at National War Memorial, New Delhi have depicted the entire narrative of the battle. The Battle was unique and one of its kind as it was the first Major offensive thrust involving Meeh forces in the western sector after the partition.
