Veterans honoured on Indo-Pak war golden jubilee

It was a moment of goosebumps when the three award-winning Indo-Pak war veterans from Andhra Pradesh were honoured on the occasion of the ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’, the golden jubilee year of the war. Lieutenant Colonel Chittoor Venugopal, while commanding a battalion of Gorkha Rifles during the operations on the eastern front on the 4th of December 1971, came face to face with a well-fortified enemy defences at Uthali and Darsana. The position had a series of concrete pillboxes inter-connected with elaborate communication trenches. Showing scant regard for his personal safety, he planned the attack with great professional skill and led his team in capturing the two vital positions. The battalion relentlessly pursued the withdrawing enemy, giving them no time to regroup till Jhenida was captured three days later.