Amar Jawan Jyoti to be extinguished after 50 yrs, merged with flame at National War Memorial

The Amar Jawan Jyoti flame at India Gate, which has been the venue for paying homage to fallen soldiers for decades, will be extinguished on Friday and merged with the flame at the newly constructed National War Memorial in the same complex, defence officials have said.

The Amar Jawan Jyoti was erected as a memorial to fallen soldiers of the 1971 operations that led to the freedom of Bangladesh. It is housed inside the India Gate, a British era memorial to soldiers who lost their lives in pre-independence operations.

With the construction of the National War Memorial, the names of all soldiers who have fallen in the line of duty since Independence have been etched in history and the flame is now being shifted to this location, sources said.




Officials said that in a symbolic ceremony on Friday, the Amar Jawan Jyoti flame will be extinguished after it has been merged with the flame at the national memorial. The ceremony is likely to be presided over by the Integrated Defence Staff chief Air Marshal BR Krishna.