Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday arrived in Jammu & Kashmir on his maiden visit and took stock of the security situation along the borders in sensitive ladakh and Kashmir Valley regions.
Gen Rawat was accompanied by Northern Army Commander lt-Gen D Anbu. On his arrival at the Siachen base camp, Gen Rawat laid a wreath at the Siachen war memorial before interacting with troops at the highest battleground in the world.
In the afternoon, the Army chief arrived in Srinagar to oversee the ground situation and preparedness of the troops along the line of Control and the hinterland. This is the first visit of the Army chief after he assumed charge earlier this month.
He was briefed by the Northern Commander and the Cops Commander of Srinagar- based XV Corps about the Army’s efforts to tackle militancy and infiltration in the Valley.
“The Army chief was briefed about measures instituted to integrate all Government agencies for efficient Intelligence generation and successful conduct of operations,” a Defence spokesman said. He complimented the soldiers on ground for their high morale, outstanding vigilance and state of preparedness.
The Army chief has a vast experience in Jammu & Kashmir. He has commanded Baramulla-based Dagger Division in 2011–2012 and a Rashtriya Rifles sector in Sopore-Bandipora in 2006-2007.
The Army chief, sources said, was specifically briefed about the situation in south Kashmir which was then epicenter of a massive public uprising that was triggered off by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016.
A significant number of youngsters has joined the militant ranks during the unrest posing a major challenge for the security agencies in the year 2017. The Army chief told the officers to maintain pressure on the militant groups through coordinated efforts with other security agencies and better intelligence network.