A war memorial, in memory of 357 Army and Assam Rifles personnel killed while fighting insurgency in the state will be inaugurated at Mokokchung town by IGAR (N), Maj. Gen. Pradeep Nair on February 3.
A senior Assam Rifles official said that the Assam Rifles authorities in Nagaland felt that need to have a war memorial that was both befitting the supreme sacrifices made by men in uniform and also to act as a beacon to motivate the future generations.
This memorial will be the first of its kind in Nagaland, which also has the famous World War II Cemetery at Kohima. Christened as “Veer Samriti”, the official said that the memorial is spread in an area of around 13,500 sq ft.
In the last six decades, many battalions from the Army and almost all battalions of Assam The sacrifice of these brave men has been the reason why peace and near normalcy has been restored in Nagaland. Rifles participated in the counter-insurgency operations.
One of the most decorated officers of the Army, Colonel N J Nair, Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra of 16 Maratha Light Infantry, was also martyred in Mokokchung in 1993, the official stated.“From Nagaland, the martyrs include Naik Nikhuni Mao, Rfm Lukhubi Sema, Alemba Ao, Y Nokte, Dule Luwang, Kumar Rangmai, H Konyak and AS Ringphami, all from Assam Rifles and Rifleman H Konyak from 164 Territorial Army Battalion,” the official stated.
The war memorial is located in the Assam Rifles battalion, Mokokchung and is expected to become an important place of visit for locals, ex-servicemen and other visitors to Mokokchung, the official said.
The War Memorial has been designed in a concentric circular form, with outer rectangular flower beds as boundary wall. The central arena, the heart of the memorial comprises of two circular podiums with a 19 feet high main memorial mast and looks spectacular. This mast has three converging posts signifying the Army, Air Force and Assam Rifles. The names of 357 martyrs have been carved, each on a single granite stone.