As the entire nation salutes the martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice in yesterday’s terrorist attack in Shopian, the Army gave a befitting farewell to its brave hearts today in a solemn ceremony at BB Cantt, Srinagar.Chief of the Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat, who had arrived in Srinagar on 23 Feb 17, paid rich tributes today to the gallant soldiers, L Nk Gh Mohi- Ud-Din, Sep Vikas Singh Gurjar and Sapper Sreejith MJ and expressed his grief and condolences to the bereaved families. He also conveyed his anguish at the unfortunate death of an elderly lady, Taja Begum in this terrorist attack and prayed to Almighty to grant strength to her family to bear this irreparable loss.Wreaths were also laid on behalf of the Chief Minister Ms Mehbooba Mufti and by Mr Abdul Haque Khan, Minister of Rural development & Panchayat Raj and Mr Ghulam Nabi Lone, Minister for Agriculture besides other officials from Civil Administration and Security agencies.On his arrival yesterday, the Army Chief had first met the other injured soldiers at the Army Base Hospital in BB Cantt and wished them speedy recovery.
After paying homage to the martyrs, the Army Chief alongwith Northern Army and Chinar Corps Commanders Lt Gen D Anbu and Lt Gen JS Sandhu, visited Victor and Kilo Force Headquarters where he was briefed on the prevailing security situation and on the recent operations conducted by the security forces.He also reviewed the collaborative measures of security forces towards ensuring peace and calm in the region and interacted with local commanders and troops urging them to continue discharging their duty with utmost professionalism.Reinforcing the need to maintain high vigil, the Army Chief also discussed the issue of stone pelting during operations and impressed upon all to synergise efforts with the other security agencies in dealing with such situations effectively.The General officer also appreciated the various humanitarian initiatives undertaken by the troops to bring succor to common people and exhorted them to sustain this positive engagement with the Awaam.