The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh led the nation in paying homage to the martyrs by laying wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate before the parade began. An eternal flame burns at the Amar Jawan Jyoti to commemorate the indomitable courage of our Armed Forces personnel who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland. An Army doctor Major Laishram Jyotin Singh was awarded posthumously the highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra for his bravery while fighting militants during an attack on Indians in Kabul.