Jaipur, 5 Dec. As part of the Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the victory of Indian Army over Pakistan, a Joint Services Bike Rally in collaboration with JAWA motorcycles was conducted under the aegis of the Southern Command and Desert Corps of Indian Army.
After travelling a distance of around 1500 Kilometres over 08 days starting from Lakhpat Gujarat, where it was flagged off by Lieutenant General PS Minhas, Desert Corps Commander, the Swarnim Vijay Varsh Bike rally finally reached its destination at Laungewala on Sunday. The rally was flagged in by Major General AS Gahlot, Sena Medal, General Officer Commanding of the Jaisalmer based Battle Axe Divison alongwith Mrs Surinder Kaur Chandpuri w/o Brig Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, MVC, VSM,the hero of Laungewala battle. A contingent of around 60 riders from the Army, Air Force, BSF, Coast Guard and Jawa Motorcycles participated in the event.
The rally drove via Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Enroute the participants interacted with the war veterans, Ex Servicemen, Veer Naris. The rally visited various schools and colleges and witnessed their cultural programmes and connected with the youth with an aim to motivate them. The rally was accorded a grand welcome wherever they went and people from all walks of life met them with patriotic fervor.
Flagging in the rally, Major General AS Gahlot, Sena Medal hailed the spirit of adventure of the bikers and applauded the yeoman service done by them in connecting with the Veterans, Veer Naris and the youth. The General officer reiterated the importance of remembering those who laid down their life in the wars fought by the nation. The bikers were accorded a warm welcome by the troops at Laungewala and the sense of achievement was evident on their faces. They also paid their respects at the Laungewala War Memorial. The culmination of the Bike Rally coincides with the Laungewala Day celebrations which is celebrated on 05 December every year to mark the epic Battle of Laungewala wherein a handful troops of 23 Punjab Regiment successfully thwarted an offensive by a numerically superior enemy and caused heavy casualties to them.
