Key Points

The official informed that Brigadier Amitabh Jha was attached to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). “Brigadier Jha was overseeing the delicate ceasefire arrangements in the Golan Heights, while Havildar Singh was deployed with the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO),” he said. The defence official pointed out that Havildar Singh worked to stabilise conflict-affected regions in Africa.

The medals to the fallen Indian heroes will be presented on May 29, which marks the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers at the UN Headquarters in New York. Since 1948, around 4,300 peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving under the UN flag.

The Dag Hammarskjold Medal was established by UN Security Council Resolution 1121 in 1997. The award is named after the second UN Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjold, who died in a 1961 plane crash while on a peace mission. The medal is awarded annually to military, police, and civilian personnel who make the ultimate sacrifice while serving in UN peacekeeping operations.

The defence official said that India, as one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions, has provided more than 200,000 personnel across 49 missions over the decades, and many Indian peacekeepers have been honoured with this medal in past years.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Indian Army marked the 77th United Nations Peacekeepers Day, and a solemn wreath-laying ceremony was held at the National War Memorial. Lieutenant General Rakesh Kapoor, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Information Systems and Coordination), paid homage to the valiant Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice while serving in UN peacekeeping missions across the globe. Senior military officers and personnel from UN contingents attended the ceremony, reflecting India’s enduring commitment to global peace and security.

- IANS