Charanjit Singh Teja,Tribune News ServiceLudhiana, December 16

In an unusual occurrence, the district administration forgot to commemorate Vijay Diwas in remembrance of the war heroes of the Indo-Pak war (1971), today. The army veterans, who fought and were awarded with gallantry awards, condemned the attitude of district administration.It is worth mentioning here that on this day in 1971, about 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to the Indian forces after the victory. This historic victory led to creation of Bangladesh. The district administration used to commemorate the Vijay Diwas and it was a tradition in other districts of the state also.Col SS Kahlon, a Vir Chakra awardee, said, “It is a tradition of district administration to celebrate the victory of Indo-Pak war. The soldiers from the district had great contribution in victory. It is the world record in the history of armed forces when 93,000 soldiers surrendered in one day. It is very disappointing that administration do not celebrate the victory. The administration has to motivate the youngsters by observing such events”.District Ludhiana has 17 gallantry award winners including one Param Vir Chakra (PVC), three Maha Vir Chakra, and 13 Vir Chakra awardees. A large number of soldiers from district were awarded with Sena Medal.SS Boparai, District Sanik Welfare Officer, said, “I am new in this district as I joined this year. As per my information there is no such tradition to commemorate Vijay Diwas on district level. During my service, I have never commemorated Vijay Diwas. We did not get any message from any officials to commemorate the day.”It is worth mentioning here that district administration has observed the martyrdom day of Flying officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon on December 14.