Patna, Jul 26 (PTI) Patna"s iconic Kargil memorial, nestled in the heart of the city facing the historic Gandhi Maidan, is a veritable patriotic space that generates awe and respect for India"s martyrs, but at times the area around its circular periphery has also witnessed many democratic protests by citizens.Built inside a huge rotary in the middle of the streets off Ashok Rajpath, in honour of the fallen soldiers in the Kargil war of 1999, the memorial with a central canopy, reminiscent of India Gate canopy, with an inverted bayonet and a soldier"s helmet inside, was inaugurated by the then defence minister George Fernandes in 2000.Aesthetically designed gardens and fountains are laid out around the canopy with a fence of metallic chains on the periphery of the memorial -- Shahid-e-Kargil Smriti Park -- whose foundation stone was laid on July 10, 1999.Tuesday marked the 23rd anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, the victory achieved through "Op Vijay" of the armed forces, and a group of armed forces personnel, joined by NCC cadets paid tributes to the martyrs. Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh also paid homage to the fallen heroes at the solemn memorial.  On July 26, 1999, the Indian Army had announced the successful culmination of "Operation Vijay", declaring victory after a nearly three-month-long battle at the icy heights of Kargil, including super-high altitude locations such as Tololing and Tiger Hill.Multiple memorials then sprang up across the country, from small towns to big cities, remembering the supreme sacrifices made by the brave soldiers and officers in uniform.In Patna, the city"s Kargil memorial, which has lent the area its name -- Kargil Chowk, was built in 1999 when Bihar was undivided, and Jharkhand would be carved out of it a year later in 2000.So, the stone plaque put at the memorial in the capital city, has names of martyrs, including those who hailed from many town and cities in southern Bihar, which are now part of Jharkhand.The plaque bears the names of "jawans from Bihar" who fell in the Kargil war, which includes, Naik Ganesh Prasad Yadav (Patna), Sepoy Arvind Kumar Pandey (East Champaran), Gunner Yugamber Dixit (Palamau), Naik Subedar Nageshwar Mahto (Ranchi) and Maj Chandra Bhushan Dwivedi (Sheohar).The sombre memorial, which generates both respect and admiration for the martyrs, was inaugurated by George Fernandes, in the presence of then Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and former state chief minister Lalu Yadav on January 4, 2000.Fernandes, who oversaw the Kargil war in 1999, died in January 2019 at the age of 88.The 22-year-old memorial is placed in a north-eastern corner of the street that circumambulates the historic Gandhi Maidan, facing the famous Elphinstone Cinema Hall on one side, the 1850s-era Gothic Christ Church on the other, Ashok Rajpath on the east-west axis while on the northern side, an approach road leads to the Dutch-era Patna Collectorate, recently demolished by the Bihar government authorities for a redevelopment project.  The area around the memorial is set to undergo massive transformation with the first double-decker flyover of Patna being built from Kargil Chowk to NIT More on Ashok Rajpath, and Patna Metro construction also underway with Gandhi Maidan station planned to be built in that area.  Adding another aura of patriotism, a memorial dedicated to revolutionary and freedom fighter Bhagat Singh sits next to Kargil memorial.  While many citizens gather in front of the landmark on special occasions like Independence Day, Republic Day, Kargil Vijay Diwas to pay homage to the martyrs, at times in the past, the streets around the site have also seen mutiple protests.From demonstrations against inflation to anti-CAA protests, and lately the agitation by the youth against the Agnipath scheme of the central government, among other protests, have been held near the memorial.  Calls for candlelight vigil and protest march by activists and various parties often mention starting point as Kargil Chowk.Such memorials, on smaller scales, were also erected in public places and squares in other parts of Bihar too, including in Bihar Sharif, headquarters of Nalanda district, as also in Daltonganj (now in Jharkhand)."In Bihar Sharif too, it is called Kargil Chowk due to the memorial built in the streets. It also has a small tank placed inside. We salute our brave martyrs on Kargil Vijay Diwas who laid down their lives to protect our motherland," said Akash Kumar, a local resident of Bihar Sharif, who went to the memorial in his city to pay tribute to the heroes.Some locals today placed a tricolour and lit up few candles beneath the canopy of the memorial in Bihar Sharif, he said.According to a plaque installed on a wall of the memorial -- Shahid-e-Kargil Park, was inaugurated by Fernandes, on July 17, 2003.At IMA, there is a war memorial in honour of martyred soldiers, including those who died in Kargil War, and various commemorative events are held from time to time.Major (retd) Manik M Jolly, 43, a Sena Medal recipient, from the 1999 batch of the Indian Military Academy, earlier told PTI: "whenever I see Kargil War or other war memorials, I often halt and just salute the bravehearts who have made us proud with their valorous acts".PTI KND SRY