Indian soldiers who perished during World War I were commemorated in Istanbul on the occasion of India’s Army Day, with a ceremony held at Haidar Pasha Cemetery in the Üsküdar district.
Organized by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), the event marked the 76th Indian Army Day and honored 122 Indian soldiers who died while serving as part of British forces during the Gallipoli campaign.
The ceremony brought together India’s Consul General in Istanbul, Mijito Vinito, Defense Attaché Colonel Manuj Garg and members of the Indian community in Türkiye.
A wreath was laid at the memorial in Selimiye’s Haidar Pasha Cemetery, which commemorates Indian troops who perished during the campaign, were lost at sea or whose final resting places remain unknown.
Vinito addressed the crowd during the gathering and said, “We commemorate the Indian soldiers all around the world. Here, in Gallipoli and Istanbul, a lot of Indian soldiers died in World War I. We come here to remember their sacrifice and the professionalism with which they served during the war.”
During World War I, more than 1.3 million Indian soldiers were deployed overseas as part of the British war effort, with approximately 74,000 losing their lives.
Around 15,000 Indian troops fought at Gallipoli, one of the war’s most fiercely contested fronts, where 1,723 soldiers were killed.
The Gallipoli Campaign, fought between the Allied forces, including British, French, Australian, New Zealand and Indian troops, and the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1916, aimed to secure control of the strategic Dardanelles Strait.
It ended in heavy losses on both sides and a decisive Ottoman defense.
