Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth and senior military officers paid tributes to the country’s fallen soldiers at the Kargil War Memorial on Sunday as the nation marked the 27th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas.

Singh, who arrived in Dras on Saturday, was the chief guest at the 'Shradhanjali Samaroh', the wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial. The Army is hosting a series of events to mark the anniversary of Operation Vijay, the 1999 conflict in which Indian soldiers recaptured the heights of Kargil.

As the sun shone over the Dras Valley on Sunday morning, Singh laid a wreath at the memorial. Before him, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, Army Chief General Seth and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, also laid wreaths, along with other senior officers.

Three helicopters in arrowhead formation – led by an advanced light helicopter and followed by two cheetals – showered flower petals on the memorial during the ceremony.

On Saturday evening, in rain-soaked Dras, the Army hosted 'Shaurya Sandhya' at the war memorial to honour the courage shown by Indian soldiers during Operation Vijay and to pay tributes to those who were killed. Singh attended the event and handed a ceremonial 'kalash' to some family members of Army personnel who died in the Kargil conflict.

The anniversary marks India’s victory in 1999, when its soldiers fought on snow-clad peaks under heavy firing from Pakistani troops and reclaimed the Kargil heights. Kargil Vijay Diwas commemorates the culmination of Operation Vijay on July 26, 1999.