SHILLONG, April 9: In commemoration of the diamond jubilee of Headquarters 101 Area of Eastern Command of Indian Army, the “Rhino Riders” motorcycle rally was flagged off by Governor Phagu Chauhan from Rhino Training Complex Shillong on Sunday.
The Headquarters 101 Area was raised on April 22, 1963, in the wake of 1962 operations to provide logistics support across entire Northeast region.
The Governor lauded 101 Area for its unique distinction of having taken part in active combat operations in spite of being a logistics formation. He recalled the crowning glory of 101 Area being the first among all Indian Forces to have entered Dacca in the morning of December 16, 1971, and played a hallmark role in the war for liberation of Bangladesh.
He complimented the formation for its stellar contribution towards infrastructure development and logistics which has aided nation building both during war and peace.
Congratulating the motorcycle team for embarking on the challenging and prestigious rally, Chauhan lauded the intent to reach out to youth to motivate them to join the Army as well as to meet veterans and Veer Naris of entire Northeastern region.
The motorcycle rally team, led by Col Pankaj Chaturvedi of HQ 101 Area, will travel though Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, and will also aid civil military fusion and celebrate the spirit of patriotism in the landmark year of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.