KOLLAM: A ceremony to honor Second Lieutenant Radha Mohan Naresh, a distinguished soldier who lost his life during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, is set to take place in Kollam. The Indian Army will unveil a statue and memorial dedicated to Lt Naresh, a native of Karunagappally, on revenue land near Ashramam Maidan. The event is scheduled for 10:30 am on Tuesday.
Attendees at the unveiling ceremony will include senior Army officials, local representatives, and the family of Lt Naresh. The ceremony will feature a silent prayer followed by a wreath-laying tribute at the memorial, which also commemorates Naresh’s military contributions. The commander of the Pangode military station will preside over the event.
Joining the ceremony will be Lt Naresh’s siblings—Dr Gopi Mohan Naresh, Praveen Naresh, and Sreekala Rani—alongside members from the District Soldier Welfare Board, officials from the Kollam corporation, and representatives from the district administration and the Jat Regiment.
Efforts were made to invite the governor and the chief minister for their participation in the ceremony; however, Krishna Moorthy, the Defence PRO from Thiruvananthapuram, conveyed that securing appointments with them was unsuccessful. As a result, leadership of the memorial ceremony will fall to the military station commander.
The land for the statue was acquired from the revenue department, and the memorial’s construction was overseen by the Pangode military station, which also sought and received approval from the Kollam corporation for the statue’s erection in Ashramam Maidan. This initiative is part of a broader effort to honor the sacrifices made by soldiers and to preserve their legacy in the local community.
