Chinar Corps celebrates its 80th Raising Day in Srinagar

The Chinar Corps on Saturday celebrated their 80th Raising Day here at the Badami Bagh Cantonment.

Lt Gen DP Pandey, GOC Chinar Corps, on the occasion, laid a wreath at the Badami Bagh Cantonment War Memorial and remembered the heroes and their sacrifices for achieving successes in countless operations.

He reinforced the expectations of the nation from the corps, in view of the extraordinary circumstances in which the Chinar Corps is operating. He exhorted all ranks of the Chinar Corps to continue working hard towards peace stability in Kashmir, Chinar Corps said in the press release.

Chinar Corps was raised during World War II at Barrackpore, 1942. As a part of the 14th Army, the Corps participated in the Burma Campaign at Arakan during World War II. Subsequently, the Corps was shifted to Karachi.

In October 1947, the Corps got tethered to Kashmir for the first time when its 161 Infantry Brigade was tasked to fight the invading Pakist regulars and Kabailis. All operations during the 1947-48 India-Pakistan conflict were controlled by headquarters of the Jammu and Kashmir Force. Later, on January 4, 1955, the Corps was entrusted with the role of complete security of Jammu and Kashmir in Udhampur. The Corps made commendable contributions during the 1965 & 1971 India-Pakistan wars.

On May 1, 1972, the Northern Command headquarters was established in Udhampur and the Chinar Corps shifted to its present location at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar. Ever since the Corps has been committed to the mission of ensuring the security of the Kashmir region from external aggression and internal security challenges.

Since 1989, when Pakistan launched its proxy war against India, Chinar Corps has been successfully maintaining the territorial integrity of the nation. Towards that end, the counter-infiltration operations along LOC and counter-terrorist operations in the hinterland have been the mainstay, the press release stated.

In the last 80 years of its existence, the Corps has been conferred with four Victoria Crosses, four Military Crosses, 13 PVCs, 20 ACs, and numerous other gallantry awards and citations.

( With inputs from ANI )