The T-55 battle tank, which served in the 1971 war with Pakistan and other armoured operations of the Indian Army, was unveiled at the War Memorial in Mangaluru on Sunday. The tank is among those phased out by the Indian Army and allotted by the Central government to Mangaluru and other places across the country.
| Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath
Gen Z and Gen Alpha should be involved in addressing societal issues, uphold constitutional and traditional values, and keep the national interest foremost in all their tasks, said Capt. Brijesh Chowta, MP for Dakshina Kannada, in Mangaluru on Sunday.Speaking at the War Memorial at Kadri Hills after unveiling a T-55 tank that took part in several armoured battles of the Indian Army, Capt. Chowta said the tank was not just an armoured vehicle, but a symbol of the sacrifice of innumerable soldiers in Kargil and other battles with Pakistan. The soldiers laid down their lives for a better tomorrow. “Not a single soldier has shown his back but has faced the bullets and has not given an inch of our land to enemies,” he said, and asked the youth to read inspiring stories of Param Vir Chakra awardees.Asking people to look at the war memorial with honour, he said one should visit it at least once every year. People should come forward to keep the war memorial clean. He said he would make efforts to get a MiG aircraft to the war memorial.Col. (Retd.) Nitteguttu Sharath Bhandary said the Kargil war was among the armoured battles in which the Indian Armed Forces were involved with Pakistan. There was young leadership in the defence units that engaged Pakistani forces in the Kargil war, and they pushed them away from all forward posts on July 26, 1999. “The T-55 tank is a sign of the resoluteness of the Indian armed forces,” Mr. Bhandary said.
