A hundred years have passed since the Indian Cavalry regiments, the Mysore, the Hyderabad and the Jodhpur Lancers, laid down their lives for the liberation of Haifa in Israel from Ottoman Empire in 1918 during World War I.
The Bahai community of Bengaluru, along with the Inter-Religious Harmony Movement, organised an event on Sunday to commemorate the event.
The victory, which is observed as Haifa Day on September 23 by the Indian Army, is also important for the Bahai community.
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One of the prisoners rescued during the battle was Abdul Baha, the eldest son of Baha-u-llah, the founder of the Baha’i faith .
Highlighting the contribution of the Mysore Lancers, Additional Deputy General of Police Bhaskar Rao, who is the head of the Karnataka State Reserve Police, which is the succeeding regiment of the Mysore Lancers, said: “The battle of Haifa is important for India and Karnataka. The Mysore Lancers, which was created in 1892, played a significant role in defeating the enemies. In fact, it was the Mysore Lancers which led Abdul Baha out of captivity.”
The battle of Haifa was incidentally the last cavalry battle to have been fought.
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Dana Kursh, Consulate General of Israel to South India, while praising the valour and supreme sacrifice of the Indian soldiers, said: “Haifa today stands as a great example of how people from multiple faiths live in harmony.”
The event also saw participation from representative of various religious communities in the city and Archbishop of Bangalore, Peter Machado.