Summary:
Jammu, Dec 8 (PTI) The Army on Wednesday launched a cycling expedition from Akhnoor sector here to commemorate "Swarnim Vijay Varsh", the 50th anniversary of the victory of the Indian Army in the 1971 war, a defence spokesperson said.
"Khalra Cycling Expedition" was flagged off by the commander of Manawar Yodha Brigade from Rakhmuthi Military Station, Akhnoor and it would cover a distance of 665 km over 10 days across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, the spokesperson said.
He said the expedition would visit the home of the hero of Khalra, Lance Havildar Raghbir Singh, who made the supreme sacrifice by ensuring that the Khalra Bridge was not captured and hence, denied the crossing of Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) at all costs.
The expedition would pay homage to the sacred battlefield of Khalra where the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regiment fought and blunted multiple enemy offensives. "The expedition will finally be flagged in to an end in Udhampur by General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Y K Joshi," the spokesperson said.
He said the expedition would also meet veterans and "veer naris" of the areas en route in a glorious celebration of "our victory and solemn remembrance of the soldiers who fought and gave their lives for it".
PTI TAS AB AAR.