Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visits Siachen glacier; meets soldiers

Less than three days into taking charge of the defence ministry, Rajnath Singh, accompanied by Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat chose Siachen glacier- the world's most dangerous battlefield- for his maiden official visit.

New Delhi: In his first official trip as the country's new Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh on Monday visited the Siachen glacier - the world's most dangerous battlefield - to meet the soldiers guarding the border beyond the height of 12,000 feet.

Singh arrived at the high altitude Thoise airfield in Ladakh on Monday morning and then he travelled to an operational base and before reaching the Siachen Glacier.

The Defence Minister tweeted pictures of himself interacting with the soldiers while sharing a plate of jalebis (Indian sweet dish).

He also paid tribute to the fallen soldiers who were martyred while serving at the hostile territory.

Singh, accompanied by Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat, is also scheduled to visit the headquarters of the Indian Army's 14 Corps in Leh and 15 Corps in Srinagar, official sources said.

Top commanders of the Army will brief the Defence Minister about the overall security situation along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and apprise him about the anti-terror operations in Kashmir.

The Siachen Glacier in the Karakorum range is known as the highest militarised zone in the world where the soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds.

Avalanches and landslides are common at the glacier during the winters and temperatures can drop to as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius.

The Defence Minister is scheduled to return to New Delhi on Monday evening.