New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, on Tuesday inaugurated the Param Vir Dirgha at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of Vijay Diwas. The Gallery features portraits of all 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees.

According to the release, the Gallery aims to educate visitors about our national heroes who displayed dauntless resolve and unconquerable spirit in defending our nation. It is also an initiative to honour the memory of our bravehearts who have laid down their lives in the service of the motherland.

The corridors where the Param Vir Dirgha has now been created, earlier displayed portraits of British ADCs.

The initiative to display portraits of Indian national heroes marks a meaningful step toward shedding the colonial mindset and embracing, with pride, the richness of India's culture, heritage, and timeless traditions.

The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying the most exceptional acts of valour, courage, and self-sacrifice during war.

Vijay Diwas is annually observed on December 16, commemorating India's decisive victory in the 1971 war, which led to the freedom of Bangladesh.

The Indian Army recalled the courage and valour of the Indian Armed Forces in the 1971 War on the occasion of Vijay Diwas, sharing the historic tale of the liberation of Bangladesh in a social media post by the Additional Directorate General of Public Information.

In a post on X, the Indian Army wrote, 'Vijay Diwas is not just a date, it stands as the symbol of the historic and decisive victory of the Indian Armed Forces in the 1971 War.'

They described the battle as a triumph that reshaped India's military history, as they remembered the powerful tussle between Mukti Bahini and the Indian Army Forces, which gave the Bangladesh Liberation struggle the much-needed push towards independence.

'It was a victory where the Mukti Bahini and the Indian Armed Forces fought shoulder-to-shoulder, together giving the Bangladesh Liberation struggle its decisive thrust toward freedom... A triumph that reshaped India's military history, redrew the map of South Asia and gave birth to a new nation, Bangladesh,' the post read. (ANI)