Nagaland: Solemn tribute marks 81 years of Battle of Kohima

The Kohima War Cemetery, Nagaland, on April 4, hosted a poignant ceremony to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Battle of Kohima.

Tributes were paid to the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the battle, considered to be a turning point in World War II.

Charlotte Carty, the granddaughter of Lt Col Bruno Brown -- the then commander of the Assam Regiment, said, "The Battle of Kohima was the first place where the Japanese were defeated on land."

The significance of the battle lies in its human cost and the sheer intensity of the fighting, she said.

The sacrifice of the soldiers, especially the Indians, was crucial to the eventual success of the Allied forces in pushing the Japanese back, she added Carty said that without the Nagas, the Allied Forces wouldn’t have been successful in Kohima.