Army Chief pays reverence to soldiers manning posts in harsh weather conditions

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Thursday paid reverence to Indian defence soldiers manning posts in harsh weather conditions in temperatures ranging from minus 10 to minus 45 degree Celsius in varied terrains.

"Today as I stand here on this cold winter morning, most of us are attired in coats and jackets, some with mufflers around their necks, caps on their heads, I wish to pay reverence to my soldiers who stand steadfast in this cold on the high altitude terrain of the Saltoro ridge manning the Siachen Glacier...," he said while addressing an event here.

"...Those who are deployed in icy heights of Mushkoh, Kargil and Drass..., those who are manning posts along the LoC in Gurez, Keran, Tangdhar, Leepa Valley, Uri sectors where temperatures are ranging between -10 and -45 degree Celsius," he continued.

The Army Chief said that his heart also goes to those "brave soldiers who are sitting in the eastern portion of Ladakh which is devoid of snow because of the very high winds that blow in the area which does not allow the snow to set in."

General Rawat stressed that soldiers sitting at those icy heights need proper care. "It is difficult to comprehend what these officers and men go through while manning these posts," he said.

Referring to the several diseases associated with high altitude conditions, the Army Chief said, "Yet the soldier never hesitates to go to these icy heights. In fact, there are a number of volunteers that time and again come forward to repeatedly serve at these icy heights...puts challenges on us as to how often we can put them there...at times even against the medical advice."

The Army Chief said that the quality of leadership is present in every soldier of Indian defence forces.

"We, as officers, get commissioned after training at the pre-commissioned academies and finally get commissioned with pips on our soldiers," he said.

"In the armed forces, we do not say you move and I follow. Our dictum is -- follow me. The leader leads. This is what leadership in the armed forces is all about," he added.

The Army Chief also paid tributes to Param Veer Chakra Awardees Bana Singh (Siachen Conflict) and Yogendra Singh Yadav (Kargil War).

General Rawat recalled Bana Singh's role in capturing of Pakistan's Qaid Post in Siachen Glacier and said, "That post has been rightly and proudly renamed as Bana post."

"A leader is one person who leads you in the correct direction, gives you the right advice and then ensures you care for the people you lead.," he said.

He said that each and every leader in the Indian Army and the Indian defence forces has proven his worth.

The Army Chief asserted that anybody who goes stray and does not maintain the "izzat" (dignity) that is expected to, finds no place in "our service and we do not hesitate in getting rid of those people."

( With inputs from ANI )