Sam Bahadur: Army to place condolence book at India Gate

New Delhi, Jun 29 (UNI) The Army would place a special condolence book at India Gate from tomorrow to allow the common man place his condolences on record on the demise of the country's first Field Marshal, Sam Manekshaw who died at a military hospital earlier this week.

Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor will be the first one to place his message on the book tomorrow morning.

The book will be kept at India Gate from tomorrow till July 2.

People can place their condolences between 0900 hrs and 1630 hrs, Army sources said.

The top leadership of the Armed Forces had come under sharp criticism recently for failing to attend the last rites of S H F J Manekshaw. While the Army Chief was in Moscow, the Navy Chief and the Air Chief were in the National Capital when ''Sam Bahadur'' was given a send-off at Ooty.

Minister of state for Defence M M Pallam Raju had represented the government at the funeral.

In a rare gesture, the government had accorded a State Funeral to the Field Marshal who died on June 27.

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