Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to observe Dussehra with Army soldiers at a forward base located in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, and engage in the traditional "Shastra Puja" (worship of weapons), according to sources in the security establishment.
This decision to celebrate Dussehra at a strategically crucial location near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is particularly significant as India and China have been embroiled in a protracted standoff in specific friction areas in eastern Ladakh for more than three years.
The defense minister will also conduct an extensive assessment of the ground situation along the LAC in the Arunachal Pradesh sector and is expected to visit several forward locations in the region.
Rajnath Singh has a history of performing "Shastra Puja" on Dussehra, which includes his time as the Union home minister in the previous BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
As India and China maintain their over-three-year-long confrontation in certain friction areas in eastern Ladakh, despite disengagement efforts in various regions following extensive diplomatic and military dialogues, the Indian perspective underscores the necessity of peace in border regions for normalized relations with China.
In light of the eastern Ladakh standoff, the Indian Army has significantly reinforced its troop presence and weaponry deployment along the nearly 3,500-km-long LAC, encompassing the Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh sectors.
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