SRINAGAR: Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday visited Siachen— the world’s
highest battlefield— and Kashmir to review the operational preparedness of the troops.
“Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat accompanied by Northern Army Commander Lieutenant
General D Anbu visited Siachen today,” defence spokesman in Srinagar Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.
After reaching the Siachen base camp, the Army Chief paid tributes to the martyrs by
placing a wreath at the Siachen War Memorial and then interacted with troops posted there. He lauded the soldiers for the high morale and state of preparedness.
Siachen had witnessed avalanche storms in January and February last year in which a
dozen soldiers were killed.
After reviewing the preparedness of troops, the army chief visited Leh, where he was briefed on the overall security situation and operational preparedness by the Corps Commander.
“General Rawat later interacted with officers and men at the Leh Garrison. During his interaction, he appreciated the commitment, dedication, sacrifice and professionalism of all officers and men posted to the region and asked them to continue to uphold the core values of the Indian Army,” the spokesman said.
Rawat later visited Srinagar to review the security situation and the measures taken to prevent infiltration from across the Line of Control (LoC).
After taking over as army chief, it was his first visit to the Valley where militancy has witnessed surge following the death of 21-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8 last year. Burhan’s killing triggered over five months-long unrest in the Valley during which 94 people including two civilians were killed and over 13,000 injured.
“The army chief chaired a high-level security meeting at army headquarters in Srinagar during which he was briefed about the prevailing security scenario in Kashmir and the measures instituted to integrate all government agencies for efficient intelligence generation and successful conduct of operations,” Colonel
Kalia said.
The Army Chief has served in various capacities in Kashmir including commanding the Dagger Division in 2011–2012 and RR Sector in Sopore - Bandipora in 2006-2007.