27 Years After Kargil, India Pays Tribute as Rajnath Sends Strong Message to Pakistan

India on Sunday marked the 27th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth and top military brass paying homage to the nation's bravehearts, even as the Centre used the occasion to send a stern message to Pakistan.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led tributes from Delhi. Murmu said the unmatched bravery, determination and patriotism of soldiers during the Kargil War would continue to inspire every Indian, while Modi said the nation remains forever indebted to the fallen heroes.

In Dras, Singh laid a wreath at the Kargil War Memorial in the Shradhanjali Samaroh, an event he had arrived to lead as chief guest, with Ladakh Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, General Seth and GOC-in-C Northern Command Lt Gen Pratik Sharma among those who paid respects earlier. Three helicopters in arrowhead formation showered floral petals on the memorial.

Delivering a sharp address, Singh accused Pakistan of making terrorism "a part of its state policy" and said India would hold no talks with its neighbour except on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which he called Indian territory under illegal occupation. He said Operation Sindoor had made clear the fate awaiting those who threaten India with terrorism, and warned Pakistan that any misadventure would draw a response "beyond their imagination." He contrasted the two nations' trajectories, saying India was building data centres while Pakistan built "radical centres," and invoked slain Kargil hero Captain Vikram Batra's famous words, "Yeh Dil Maange More," to underline the military's resolve.

Modi separately highlighted the "Shaurya Vijay Yatra," a motorcycle rally that began on July 14 from the National War Memorial in Delhi and culminated at Dras, describing its message as "One Ride, One Nation, One Salute." He also pointed to India's expanding indigenous defence capability, citing the recent commissioning of naval vessel INS Mahendragiri and fresh DRDO technology trials.

On Saturday evening, the Army had hosted a rain-soaked "Shaurya Sandhya" at the memorial, where Singh handed ceremonial kalashes to families of soldiers killed in the 1999 Kargil conflict, part of a series of events marking the anniversary of Operation Vijay.