India Marks 27th Kargil Vijay Diwas with Commemorations in Dras

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh led a two-day series of commemorative events in Dras and Ladakh starting July 25, 2026, to mark the 27th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas. The celebrations honor the victory of Operation Vijay, the 1999 conflict in which the Indian Army recaptured strategic heights from Pakistani forces who had infiltrated the region.

Due to inclement weather that cancelled his scheduled helicopter flight from Srinagar, Singh traveled by road to the Kargil War Memorial. He served as the chief guest for the Shaurya Sandhya tribute and the Shradhanjali Samaroh wreath-laying ceremony, joined by Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth. Singh also inaugurated a Virtual Walkthrough Portal designed to provide an immersive digital experience of the memorial's history.

The Indian Army organized various tributes, including the Yudh Sansmaran at the Lamochen view point and the Gauravmaya Sanskriti cultural showcase. The commemorations concluded with the arrival of the Shaurya Vijay Yatra, a motorcycle rally that traveled from the National War Memorial in New Delhi to Dras. Simultaneously, members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha paid tributes to the fallen soldiers in parliament.

These events commemorate the 1999 conflict that saw the deployment of Operation Vijay and the Indian Air Force's Operation Safed Sagar. The war ended on July 26, 1999, after approximately 60 days of combat across Dras, Kargil, Batalik, and Mushkoh, resulting in the deaths of 527 Indian soldiers.