Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 12: Army chief Gen Bikram Singh today held second high level review of security situation with top Army Commanders at the Northern Army Command Headquarters at Udhampur today followed by a briefing by General Officer Commanding (GOC) 26 Division at Jammu before he returned to New Delhi after his two days visit.
Gen Singh also visited holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji this morning and paid obeisance to the Goddess.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Gen Singh, who had detailed inter-action with Northern Army Command chief Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra yesterday after his arrival to the Command Headquarters from New Delhi, today held another round of security review in which GOCs of Jammu, Srinagar and Leh Corps were also present.
GOC 16 Corps Lt Gen DS Hooda, GOC 15 Corps Lt Gen Gurmit Singh and GOC 14 Corps Maj Gen Rakesh Sharma were also present in the security review meeting along with Lt Gen Chachra and other top Army Commanders.
Security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir including the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir regions and Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Leh came up for specific review in the meeting, sources said, adding that the Army chief stressed for strict surveillance on the borders along the LoC to ensure that the militants didn’t manage to infiltrate.
The situation along China border in Leh also came up for a high level review. Maj Gen Sharma briefed the Army chief about the situation along the LAC.
Sources said post-US troops pullout from Afghanistan was also discussed at the high level meeting of the Commanders. The Army had been asserting that the militants from Afghanistan could try to infiltrate into India but declared that they were capable of meeting any eventuality and would thwart the infiltration attempts.
The Army chief had yesterday reviewed success of anti-militancy operations carried out by the Army in the Kashmir Valley in which top militant commanders were eliminated. The LoC in Jammu region, which falls in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, was peaceful, sources said, adding Gen Singh had stressed that Army should maintain strict vigil on the borders to ensure that ongoing election process for Lok Sabha in the State was not disturbed.
The Army chief also visited Satwari Cantonment in the afternoon, where he was briefed on the situation by GOC 26 Division Major General Dushyant Singh on the situation and other measures taken by the Army.
In the morning, Gen Bikram Singh visit holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji. Accompanied by top Army Commanders, Gen Singh flew to Sanji Chat from Katra in Army helicopter and trekked to Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan.
After prayers at the cave shrine, he returned to Katra.
Sources said Army had reports that a number of militants were still camping across the LoC, who were well trained and in possession of sophisticated weaponry. The militants were awaiting an opportunity to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir but so far the Army has foiled all infiltration attempts on the LoC and didn’t allow the militants to succeed.
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