Rajnath to visit Sikkim and Darjeeling, offer Shastra Puja

KOLKATA: Defence minister Rajnath Singh will be visiting forward areas in Sikkim and the headquarters of the Army's 33 Corps at Sukna in the Darjeeling district during a two day tour starting Saturday, ANI has reported.
While all attention is on the western part of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over the last few months due to a standoff between Indian troops and those of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), there has also been considerable mobilisation along the eastern sector in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh to prevent any attempts by the Chinese to step into Indian territory.
The 33 Corps headquarters at Sukna is in charge of the LAC in Sikkim where conditions are no less difficult than in Ladakh. Infrastructure in forward areas is also an issue and Singh is slated to inaugurate a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) project during his visit. The defence minister will also travel to forward areas and interact with troops deployed there during the festive season.
According to ANI, Singh will also participate in Shastra Puja during his visit to Sikkim and Darjeeling. Shastra Puja is performed at nearly all defence units across the country when military personnel offer Puja to their weapons. This Puja is performed on Dussehra. The weapons, or at least some of them, are placed on a pedestal and then adorned with flowers before the ceremony takes place. This ritual has its roots in mythology when Lord Ram is said to have offered prayers to his weapons before vanquishing Ravana.
Singh, during his visit to France, also offered Shastra Puja while receiving the first Rafale fighter jet on the Indian Air Force's behalf. According to a senior defence official, Singh's visit to the Eastern Command is important as the 33 Corps has always played a crucial role in the defence of India's border with China. Its role was particularly important in 2017 during the Doklam standoff when additional troops had to be rushed to this crucial location to thwart the PLA's attempts to advance southward.