Yagya and Sarvadharm sabha begin at Drass sector

Drass (Kargil), July 18 (UNI) The nine-day ''Yagya and Sarva Dharma Pooja'' (all-religion prayer), in memory of 1999 Kargil martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the nation, started here today.

Swami Balak Yogeshwar Das head of Jammu based trust, Ati Vishnu Maha Yagya Samiti performed pooja along with 80 families of martyrs from Tiger Hills, Batra Top, Battalik Hill and Tololing, scene of the battle between Indian army and Pakistan sponsored infiltraters in 1999.

The Yagya began with religious chanting by over 500 religious scholars who gathered here from the different corners of the country, mostly from Varanasi, under supervision of Ram Narayan andi Bihari Lal.

More than 50 Sikh Granthis from Punjab and local Maulvis started the recital of the Guru Granth Sahib and the Quran on the occasion.

The Yagya will conclude on Jule 26 on the seventh aniversary of Vijay Diwas. About 500 families including G L Batra, father of Paramvir Chakra awardee late Captain Vikram Batra, former Inspector General (BSF) A S Jasrotiya, father of the late Capt Ajay Jasrotia and family member of Saurabh Kalia and Manoj Pandey are expected to participate in the function.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will be the chief guest on the concluding ceromony. The SSP Kargil Garib Das provided tight security during the function.

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