DEFENCE MINISTER RAJNATH SINGH TO ATTEND 'INFANTRY DAY' CELEBRATIONS IN BUDGAM ON 27 OCTOBER

On October 27, the defence minister Rajnath would travel to Kashmir for two days.

In addition to visiting a few advanced posts, Singh would go to an event in Budgam in honour of "Infantry Day," which is observed annually on October 27 to mark the Indian Army's entry into Kashmir at the Budgam Airfield.

The Defence Minister would attend the Infantry Day event at the same location shortly after arriving at Old Airfield, according to top defence officials.

According to defence authorities, the occasion would be commemorated in memory of the soldiers and residents of Jammu and Kashmir who died defending the nation.

“It is also to honour the Next of Kin of war heroes who participated in the 1947-48 War,” they said.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, General Anil Chauhan, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Northern Command Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Air Officer Commanding-In-Chief Western Air Command Air Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran, and General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15 Corps Lt Gen A D S Aujila, among other civil and military dignitaries, are expected to attend the event.

The Next of Kin of war veterans who travelled across the nation to participate in this massive event will also be honoured, according to defence officials.

The Defence Minister would then travel to 15 Corps Headquarters to receive a briefing on the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir and the current infiltration scenario.

According to defence officials, he's likely to speak with individuals on that day, mostly the families of Kashmiri soldiers who died in the line of duty.

According to them, Rajnath Singh is expected to visit some forward posts in north Kashmir on Friday morning and speak with soldiers there before taking a flight to New Delhi after staying the night in Srinagar.