Uttarakhand

• 01 Jul 2023

Resolution passed to rename Lansdowne to Jaswantgarh

Why In News?

Recently, in a meeting chaired by Brigadier Vijay Mohan Chowdhary, Chairman, Lansdowne Cantonment Board, Uttarakhand, a resolution has been passed to rename Lansdowne town as Jaswantgarh after Hero of the NEFA Mahavir Chakra winner martyr Rifleman Baba Jaswant Singh Rawat. Cantonment Board Office Superintendent Vinita Jakhmola has confirmed this.

Key Points:

• It is known that the Cantonment Board has sent a suggestion to the Ministry of Defense to change the name of the old cantonment town from Lansdowne to Jaswantgarh. The Ministry of Defense had earlier sought suggestions from the Cantonment Board to change the name.
• It is worth mentioning that Jaswant Singh Rawat was born on August 19, 1941 in Barium village of Dunav gram panchayat of Bironkhal block of Pauri district of the state. He was serving in the 4th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles at the time of his martyrdom.
• The Sino-Indian War of 1962 was in its final stages. Chinese troops had reached beyond Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. Jaswant Singh Rawat was posted at the turn of the road near Sela Top. During this, he dragged the Chinese medium machine and brought it to the Indian post and turned it towards the Chinese soldiers and destroyed them. He finally attained Veergati on November 17, 1962, after stopping the Chinese army for 72 hours.
• Jaswant Singh Rawat was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.