Palampur, Aug. 8 -- The statue of India's first Param Vir Chakra awardee, Martyr Major Somnath Sharma will be unveiled here in Himachal Pradesh on August 15.
The statue, built by the Palampur Municipal Corporation by spending Rs 8 lakh, will be installed near its office.
Congratulating Mayor Gopal Nag and his team, former state chief minister Shanta Kumar recalled that Major Somnath, a resident of Dhar village near Palampur, displayed extraordinary bravery in 1947 by preventing Pakistani forces from capturing Srinagar airport during the first Indo-Pak war.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, he fought until his last breath, enabling Indian forces to secure the airport.
Shanta Kumar said a grand memorial is also being built in Dhar vi...