GULMARG: On the occasion of the birthday of Captain Gurjinder Singh Suri, who died during the operation “Birsa Munda” in 1999, the Indian Army inaugurated a war memorial in memory of Captain in Gulmarg near the Line of Control (LOC).
Lieutenant Colonel (Col), Tej Prakash Singh Suri (Retd), father of Captain Gurjinder Singh Suri, MVC (Posthumous) was also present on the occasion. “On the occasion, Lieutenant Colonel (Col), Tej Prakash Singh Suri (Retd), father of Captain Gurjinder Singh Suri, MVC (Posthumous) traveled hundreds of kilometers to a forward location at more than 10000 ft height along the Line of Control, to finally accomplish his dream of visiting the Battlefield where his son had made the ultimate sacrifice during operation BIRSA MUNDA in 1999,” read a release by the Army.
Birsa Munda’ operation was a punitive raid conducted against a Pakistani post by a Bihar battalion of the Indian Army in the month of November 1999. “This was the time when operation VIJAY had drawn two-way close but the Line of Control was still active with sporadic incidents of trans Line of Control violence. In a swift and meticulously planned operation, the entire Pakistani post was destroyed, killing 17 Pakistani soldiers,” the Army said. The nation also paid the human cost of military action and lost Capt Gurjinder Singh Suri, raid commander who was later awarded Maha Vir Chakra (Posthumous).
Three of his team members Sepoy Manoj Kumar, Vir Chakra (Posthumous), Sepoy Birendra Kumar, Mention-in-Despatches (Posthumous), and Lance Naik Birendra Nath Tiwari, Mention-in-Despatches (Posthumous) also made the supreme sacrifice, the release said.
