1962 War Hero To Get Memorial In Arunachal, State Earmarks Rs 5 Crore

The Indian Army's 19th Battalion of the JAT Regiment joined ITBP personnel and villagers in Arunachal Pradesh to pay tribute to Neelam Tebi, an Assam Rifles soldier killed during the 1962 India-China war. The state government has allocated Rs 5 crore for the first phase of a memorial dedicated to him.

The tribute was held on October 20 at the memorial site in Keyi Panyor district, marking 64 years since Tebi's death. 

Personnel from the Army's 19th Battalion, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police's 60th Battalion and local representatives attended the programme.

Tebi served with the 5 Assam Rifles during the 1962 conflict. Originally from Nyelam village in the erstwhile Lower Subansiri district, he was deployed in the Kameng sector when Chinese forces advanced into the region.

Military officials said Tebi was wounded on October 19, 1962, and died the following day.

His action during the fighting was recalled at the event by ITBP's 60th Battalion Commandant Thanglian Mang. Major Bhanu Mahesh of the Army's 19th Battalion, JAT Regiment, also paid tribute to the soldier.
The proposed memorial will cover around 45,000 square metres. The first phase will include a cenotaph, a wall bearing the names of martyrs, a museum-cum-armoury hall and a statue of Tebi. The site is also expected to have landscaped gardens, viewpoints, an entrance gate, an approach road, a cafeteria and parking facilities.

There are plans to install an armoured tank and a helicopter in the later phases of the project.

Land for the memorial has been donated by residents of Nyelam village. The contribution will allow the project to take shape in the area associated with Tebi's early life.

The memorial is expected to document Tebi's role in the 1962 war and provide visitors with an account of the fighting in the eastern Himalayan region. It is expected to add to the state's existing war memorial sites at Tawang and Walong.

The participation of the JAT Regiment, ITBP personnel and villagers at the October 20 programme brought together the armed forces and the community in whose home region the memorial is being developed.