WATCH | Amar Jawan Jyoti At India Gate Merged With Eternal Flame At National War Memorial

Earlier in the day, govt sources said that a lot of misinformation is being spread with respect to the ceremony as they clarified that the flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti is not being extinguished. 

New Delhi: In a brief ceremony on Friday, the Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate was merged with the eternal flame at the National War Memorial. 

The ceremony was presided over by Air Marshal Balabadhra Radha Krishna AVSM SC, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), who merged the two flames. 

“The Memorial stands testimony to the sacrifices made by our gallant soldiers since Independence. The Memorial houses the eternal flame which exemplifies the supreme sacrifice made by a soldier in the line of duty thus making him immortal,” a statement by the Ministry of Defence read.

Earlier in the day, government sources told news agency ANI that a lot of misinformation is being spread with respect to the ceremony as they clarified that the flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti is not being extinguished. 

The clarification came as several opposition leaders including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi questioned the Union Government’s intent in concluding the Eternal Flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate in the national capital.

The government sources stressed that the flame is being merged with the one at the National War Memorial, as they said that the flame at Amar jawan Jyoti paid tributes to the martyrs of 1971 and other wars however none of the names who made that supreme sacrifice for the country were present there. 

“It was an odd thing to see that the flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti paid homage to the martyrs of the 1971 and other war heroes but none of their names are present there but now the names of all Indian martyrs from all the wars, including 1971 and wars before and after it are housed at the National War Memorial. This would be a true tribute to our fallen heroes,” the sources added, as quoted by ANI. 

National War Memorial

The Amar Jawan Jyoti was constructed as a memorial for Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in action in the 1971 India-Pakistan war, which India won, leading to the creation of Bangladesh.

It was inaugurated by the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, on January 26, 1972.

Notably, the India Gate memorial was built by the British government in memory of the British Indian Army soldiers who lost their lives between 1914-1921. 

After multiple considerations, the National War Memorial was built in the India Gate complex. It was inaugurated in 2019. After the inauguration of the building in the War memorial, all military ceremonial events were shifted from the India Gate memorial to the National War Memorial. It has the names of all the Indian defence personnel who have lost their lives in different operations from the 1947-48 war with Pakistan to the Galwan valley clash with Chinese troops. 

The names of troops who lost lives in the counter-terrorist operations are also included on the walls of the memorial.

(With Agency Inputs)