Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Siachen Glacier on Monday, 3 June, and paid tributes to the martyred soldiers, who lost their lives serving in the region.
The visit is his first to the icy peaks, after taking over the charge from Nirmala Sitharaman, to survey the security situation. Singh was accompanied by senior defence ministry officials as well as Army Chief Bipin Rawat.
Singh tweeted that he visited a forward post and Siachen base camp on Monday and interacted with the army personnel serving in this region, which is also known as the ‘the highest battle field in the world’.
"Our soldiers in Siachen are performing their duty with great courage and fortitude even in extreme conditions and treacherous terrain. I salute their vigour and valour," he added.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visits Siachen glacier.
(Photo: ANI)
He also paid tributes to the martyred soldiers who sacrificed their lives while serving in the region. "More than 1100 soldiers have made supreme sacrifice defending the Siachen Glacier. The nation will always remain indebted to their service and sacrifice," he said.
Singh was given a security briefing about the situation along India’s borders with Pakistan while there.
The Siachen Glacier has been under the Indian Army’s watch since 1984, following Operation Meghdoot.
Singh's predecessors, like Sharad Pawar, George Fernandes, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Nirmala Sitharaman, had visited Siachen as well.
Fernandes, as defence minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, once sent two senior bureaucrats of his ministry to Siachen glacier when he came to know that they had held back a file on purchase of snow bikes for soldiers deployed there.
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