First, went the flame and now, the rifle and the helmet. The over fifty-year-old symbol of the war for Bangladesh liberation has shifted a few meters away; from under the arch of India Gate to the recently raised National War Memorial (NWM).
The inverted ‘L1AI self-loading rifle’ crowned by a helmet — an entrenched image that defines the sacrifices of Fallen Soldiers of 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war — was on Friday ,shifted from the India Gate and pitched amidst busts of Param Vir Chakra awardees at the Param Yodha Sthal of NWM.
A formal ceremony, by the armed forces, marked the shifting of the symbols of Amar Jawan Jyoti War memorial, inaugurated on January 26, 1972. Air Marshal BR Krishna, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee offered a final salute and a wreath at the war memorial .
With full military honours, the inverted rifle and the helmet were removed and carried in a ceremonial vehicle to the Param Yodha Sthal and installed at the newly created monument, said the Defence Ministry in a statement.
“With this ceremony, the integration of the Memorial of Fallen Soldiers of 1971 war with NWM has been completed, it said.
“The ceremony was attended by Adjutant General equivalents from the three services — Army, Air Force and Navy,” said the Ministry. Air Marshal Krishna was accompanied by the AGs who saluted the new monument.
Earlier in January, the torch with the flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti was carried and merged with the flame at the NWM, which was opened for public in February 2019.
The NWM testifies lives soldiers sacrificed for the country in the post-Independence era. Over 26,000 soldiers' names are inscribed on it to ensure their valour never fades from the memory of Indians.