President Murmu visits Siachen base camp, tells soldiers all citizens salute their bravery

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday visited the Siachen base camp and told soldiers posted at the world’s highest battlefield that all citizens salute their bravery.

Addressing the troops, she said in difficult situations like heavy snowfall and minus 50 degrees temperature, they present extraordinary examples of sacrifice and tolerance in protecting the motherland.

The President said that as the supreme commander of the armed forces, she felt very proud of them and that “all citizens salute their bravery”.

“They face severe weather conditions. In difficult situations like heavy snowfall and minus 50 degrees temperature, they remain deployed at their front with full devotion and vigilance. They present extraordinary examples of sacrifice and tolerance in protecting the motherland,” Murmu said.

She told soldiers that all Indians are aware of their sacrifice and bravery and “we respect them”, according to a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Dressed in Indian military uniform, Murmu also paid tributes at Siachen War Memorial.

The memorial, she said, is a symbol of the sacrifice of soldiers and officers who have been martyred since the Indian Army began Operation Meghdoot on the Siachen Glacier on April 13, 1984.

Under Operation Meghdoot, the Indian Army established its full control over the glacier.

The President said since the commencement of Operation Meghdoot, “the brave soldiers and officers of the Indian armed forces have ensured the security of this region”.

Lt Governor of Ladakh Brigadier B D Mishra had received President Murmu on her arrival at Thoise airfield.

Murmu is the country’s third president to have visited Siachen base camp, located in the Union Territory of Ladakh, the others being APJ Abdul Kalam and Ram Nath Kovind. While Kalam visited in April 2004, Kovind went to the base camp in May 2018.

The Siachen glacier is at a height of around 20,000 ft in the Karakoram mountain range. It is known as the highest militarised zone in the world where soldiers have to battle extreme cold, high winds and frostbite among other severe weather conditions.