Vikal Sharma
Palampur: The Palampur branch of India Vikas Parishad paid heartfelt tribute to Captain Saurabh Kalia, the first martyr of the 1999 Kargil War, on his death anniversary.
Floral tributes were offered at his statue in Saurabh Van Vihar, a park named in his honour, in the presence of his father Dr NK Kalia and younger brother Vaibhav Kalia.
As part of the ongoing “One Tree in the Name of a Martyr” initiative, a medicinal plant was also planted to mark the solemn occasion. The symbolic gesture was carried out by Dr NK Kalia himself, signifying both remembrance and environmental consciousness.
Regional Environment Activity Coordinator Manoj Ratna said the India Vikas Parishad is committed to planting trees on significant days associated with the nation’s martyrs. “This initiative aims to honour their sacrifice while also promoting environmental responsibility,” he stated.
Branch president Kushal Katoch recalled the harrowing day of June 9, 1999, when the mutilated body of Captain Saurabh Kalia was returned to India, laying bare the barbaric treatment by enemy forces. “His death was not just a loss to the nation but a chilling reminder of Pakistan’s cowardice,” Katoch said.
Several prominent members of the Parishad and the local community joined the ceremony, including former regional secretary Seva Kamal Sood, city union convener Dr Surinder Pal Kanthwal, former branch president Narendra Dixit and members Vishal and Prem.
Captain Saurabh Kalia, born on June 29, 1976, in Amritsar and raised in Palampur, was commissioned into the 4th battalion of the Jat Regiment in December 1998. Just months later, during the Kargil conflict, he led a six-member patrol to the Bajrang Post in the Kaksar sector near the Line of Control on May 15, 1999. After a fierce gunfight, the group was captured alive by Pakistani forces.
Held in captivity for 22 days, Captain Kalia and his men were subjected to brutal torture before being killed. Their bodies, returned on June 9, bore signs of severe abuse — punctured eardrums, gouged eyes and mutilated limbs — sparking nationwide outrage.
Despite continued appeals by his family to seek justice through international forums such as the International Court of Justice, the case remains unresolved, with no international accountability established so far.
