Captain Saurabh Kalia, the first Kargil martyr

Saurabh Samriti Kaksha stores everything related to Capt Saurabh Kalia. Be it his Army uniform, his shoes, black-coloured trunk, letters written by him to his family and friends and the account book of his salary account, in which his first salary was credited.

“It was on June 9, 1999, when Army handed over my son’s mutilated body to me. They also gave me Saurabh’s two personal diaries, along with other belongings. One of the diaries, in which Saurabh had made maps of the Kargil sector for his reference, was later taken back by the Indian Army. The second diary is still with me and I stored it in my personal locker instead of showcasing it in the museum,” Dr N K Kalia, father of martyr Saurabh Kalia, told The Indian Express.

Five other soldiers who were captured with Capt. Saurabh Kalia were sepoys Arjun Ram, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria, Bhika Ram, Moola Ram and Naresh Singh.

The family is fighting a long legal battle to declare the death of Captain Saurabh Kalia along with five other soldiers a war crime committed by the Pakistan Army.

Vijay Kalia, the mother of Capt Saurabh Kalia, says, “Saurabh was a die-hard devotee of Lord Hanuman and the post in Kargil, from where he was captured alive after he fought bravely, was also called Bajrang post.”

Vijay Kalia resigned her government job in HP Agriculture University a few days after the martyrdom of her son.