Army men pay floral tributes to the statue of martyr Capt Roopendra Singh Garcha on his 17th martyrdom day in Jalandhar on Friday. Photo: Sarabjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 30

Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma today said the supreme sacrifice made by Capt Roopendra Singh Garcha and other Army men would always inspire the younger generations to lay down their lives for safeguarding the unity and integrity of the country.He was addressing the gathering during a function to commemorate the 17th martyrdom day of Capt Garcha, who sacrificed his life at the altar of his motherland in 2000. The Deputy Commissioner, while saluting the Army, said the exemplary social services being rendered by the Capt Roopendra Singh Garcha Charitable Trust instituted by the family were laudable. Presiding over the function, Chief of Staff Headquarters 11 Corps Maj Gen Balwinder Singh saluted the martyr on this momentous occasion. Recalling the days of his posting in the Valley during 2000 when Capt Garcha attained martyrdom, the Major General said the Army was mostly fighting with an invisible enemy to protect the country.Like every year, a contingent of 323 AAD Regiment from which Capt Roopendra Singh Garcha hailed also came all the way from Pune under Captain Lokesh Yadav to pay homage to the great martyr.Prominent amongst other present on the occasion included mother of Capt Garcha Harminder Kaur Garcha, brother Deepinder Singh Garcha, Lieut Gen Surjit Singh (retd), Lieut Gen MS Shergill (retd), Lieut Gen AS Bahia (retd), Lieut Gen JS Dhillon (retd), Maj Gen Iqbal Singh, Maj Gen Manjit Singh, Maj Gen MS Parmar, Major Gen Amrik Singh, Lieut Col Manmohan Singh (retd) and families of Kargil martyrs.