Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Performs ‘Shastra Puja’ Near LAC

Photo Courtesy: PRO Shillong, Ministry of Defence

New Delhi: India wants peace along its border with China, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday after he performed “Shastra Puja” (customary worship of weapons) in Darjeeling on the occasion of Dussehra.

“India’s brave soldiers have sacrificed their lives (for the country’s safety). We want that the Indo-China border tension should end and peace should be preserved. But unpleasant incidents keep happening. However, I am confident that our soldiers will not let anyone take even an inch of our land… History will remember the courage of Indian soldiers,” the minister, NDTV reported.

Rajnath Singh was accompanied by Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, besides other officers and jawans during the “Shastra Puja” at the Sukna War Memorial.

As part of the ceremony, Singh worshiped weapons, equipment and armoured vehicles as a priest chanted prayers in Sanskrit.

The “Shastra Puja” near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China comes amid the standoff with the neighbouring country in eastern Ladakh.

The defence minister, who is on a two-day visit to West Bengal and Sikkim to review the preparedness of the forces, also inaugurated the Alternate Alignment Gangtok-Nathula Road via video conferencing from the Sukna-based headquarters of 33 Corps, which guards the de-facto border with China in the Sikkim sector.