2 weeks ago
Rajnath Singh meets soldiers in Siachen Glacier, reviews military preparedness
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday visited Siachen, the world's highest battlefield, and reviewed the overall military preparedness in the region. While addressing the soldiers, Rajnath Singh called them 'no less than God' and said, "In the Siachen glacier you (army) are ready to shoot the enemy and also to take bullets and that is why people are able to celebrate festivals peacefully. Your responsibility of being a protector gives you a status of God. The number of God and Goddess we have in some or the other way protect us. So as you are doing your duty, you are no less than a God." Singh's visit to Siachen came over a week after the Indian Army marked the 40th year of its presence in the strategically key region. The Defence Minister, accompanied by Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande, reviewed the overall security situation in the region. Singh also interacted with the soldiers deployed in Siachen. The Siachen glacier, which is at a height of around 20,000 feet in the Karakoram range, is known as the highest militarised zone in the world where the soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds. Under its 'Operation Meghdoot' the Indian Army established its full control over the Siachen Glacier in April, 1984.
