Lt Gen. Deepak Raj at the wreath laying ceremony

The Trishakti Corps celebrated Vijay Diwas on December 16 to commemorate the victory of the Indian Army in the 1971 war and to pay homage to soldiers who had laid down their lives.

Pakistani General A.A.K. Niazi, along with nearly 93,000 troops, had surrendered to Lt Gen. J.S. Aurora, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command, on this day in 1971 following the creation of Bangladesh.

To commemorate the occasion, Lt Gen. Deepak Raj, the General Officer Commanding of the Trishakti Corps, laid a wreath at the memorial. A candle lighting ceremony was held in the evening when all serving and retired officers, junior commissioned officers and personnel paid homage.

Kripan feat

The Kripan Division had captured Bogra, the last bastion of the East Pakistan army on December 16 during the Indo-Pak war in 1971.

The capture of Bogra led to the fall of Dacca, the capital of erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The garrison, a bastion of 16 Infantry Division of Pakistan, was deployed to put up a stiff resistance to delay the fall of Dacca. The soldiers of the Kripan Division had forced Maj. Gen. Nazar Hussain Shah, the GOC of Pakistan, along with troops of the garrison, to surrender on December 18 in 1971.

The Bogra Day celebrations commenced with laying of wreath by Maj. Gen. P.S. Bhalla, the GOC of the division, at the memorial in Binnaguri. Personnel posted at the station also paid homage to the soldiers who had sacrificed their lives in the war. Candles were also lit at the memorial.

Veterinary Corps

The Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) celebrated its 228th Raising Day on December 14 with the motto “service to animals is our duty”.

The history of the Corps can be traced back to 1779. It had started to control breeding of animals and mounting of the Imperial Army. In 1925, the Corps was re-designated as Indian Army Veterinary Corps (IAVC). Army Remount Department and IAVC were amalgamated in 1947 to form the RVC.

The RVC is a pioneer in training and deployment of army dogs in counter-insurgency operations.

On the Raising Day, Lt Gen Raj, GOC, Trishakti Corps, complimented all the personnel of the RVC for their dedication. Lt Gen. N. Mohanti, the first director general of the RVC, also conveyed his wishes.

Artillery aid

The Regimental Artillery Association has opened regional offices in Bengal to render financial help to retired gunners who are physically disabled as well as at the time of natural calamity.

The regional centres at Kanchrapara in North 24 Parganas and Sevoke Road artillery units will help the ex-servicemen to process financial assistance and disseminate information about welfare schemes.

The office at Sevoke Road will cater to the needs of ex-servicemen residing in Darjeeling, North and South Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad and Birbhum districts. The districts of Nadia, North and South 24-Parganas, Purulia, Bankura, East and West Midnapur, Burdwan, Hooghly, Howrah, Calcutta (presidency) will be looked after by the Kanchrapara office.

Soccer meet

Mechanised Infantry Regiment won the Trishakti Corps troops’ inter-unit football championship by defeating the Artillery team.

The tournament was held in Sukna from December 7 to 20.