Rajnath Singh hails troops for guarding frontier with unwavering commitment
TAWANG/NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday performed Shastra Puja’ in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang and celebrated Dussehra with Army soldiers in the strategically key region that is close to the frontier with China.
Singh, accompanied by Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande, also carried out a comprehensive review of India’s military preparedness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh and lauded the troops for guarding the border with “unwavering commitment and unparalleled courage.” In 1962, Chinese troops had clashed with Indian forces in the region, and significantly, Tawang town was over-run on October 24 that year.
During an interaction with soldiers after visiting Bum-La and number of other forward posts, Singh asserted there is no option but to bolster the country’s security apparatus in view of the current global scenario.
Singh’s celebration of Dussehra with the soldiers at a military base that is not very far from the LAC comes at a time India and China have been engaged in a bitter standoff in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh for over three years.
Dussehra signifies the victory of good over evil, Singh said after performing Shastra Puja’ (worship of weapons) at a military base. The defence minister also visited the Tawang war memorial, where he laid a wreath and offered tributes to the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice during the 1962 war with China.