President Droupadi Murmu told the troops that all Indians know how much they risk and how bravely they fight, and “we respect them.”
President Droupadi Murmu became the first woman president of India and the third ever to visit the Siachen base camp on Thursday.
There, she addressed the army’s forward-deployed soldiers, hailing their bravery, commitment, and dedication while serving on and defending the world’s coldest and highest battleground.
It is the gateway to the Siachen glacier, a 76-km river of slow-moving ice.
The presidential visit assumes importance because this is the 40th year since the Indian Army evicted Pakistani soldiers who had occupied towering heights in Siachen — the army launched Operation Meghdoot on April 13, 1984, to clear them out and take complete control of this strategic glacier.
Addressing soldiers at the base camp, the President, who was in battle fatigue, said, “Since the operation Meghdoot began, it is the courage of the Indian forces that has protected this region.
They are exposed to harsh weather conditions. Under awful conditions like snow and minus 50 degrees temperature, the frontline battalions keep deployed with utmost dedication and alertness.”.
