Bad weather forces Rajnath to stay at border outpost in Himalayas

Bad weather on Tuesday forced Rajnath Singh to abandon his helicopter and take a road trip to <g data-gr-id="14">Dungti</g>, some 200 <g data-gr-id="15">kms</g> from here on the icy heights of Himalayas, for a night halt at a border outpost, the first by a Union Home Minister.

Singh, on a three-day visit to border areas of Jammu and Kashmir, decided to drive down to the <g data-gr-id="12">Dungti</g> border post in Demchok at a height of 13,648 feet above sea level, after <g data-gr-id="13">low lying</g> clouds made flying impossible.

Demchok has seen repeated incursions by Chinese People’s Liberation Army last year, including the one that led to a face-off with the Indian army at <g data-gr-id="16">Charding</g>-<g data-gr-id="17">Nilu</g> Nullah Junction (CNNJ). The PLA had entered the area on vehicles in the wee hours claiming it to be Chinese territory. Accompanied by senior officials, including Director General of ITBP Krishna Chaudhary, the Home Minister will spend the night with officers and jawans of the border guarding force for a <g data-gr-id="19">first hand</g> feel of conditions they work in.