Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali with the Army today in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri. He flew to the Army Brigade Headquarters in the border district to interact with the troops deployed along the Line of Control (LoC), officials said.
This is the Prime Minister's third visit to celebrate Diwali with the troops in Jammu and Kashmir since 2014; the first after the state's special status was scrapped under Article 370.
His visit also coincided with the Infantry Day celebrations, observed to mark the landing of first Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 to push back Pakistan-supported intruders.
The troops said they were "happy and proud" on meeting PM Modi and one soldier told news agency PTI that his "gesture came as a morale booster for the soldiers working round the clock to secure the country's borders."
PM Modi feeds sweets to soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri on Diwali
The soldiers said the prime minister asked them to continue their vigil along the border for peace in the region.
PM Modi's Diwali visits to troops started in 2014 after he spent the festival at Siachen in Ladakh with soldiers, besides visiting the flood victims in Srinagar.
Last year too, he celebrated Diwali with the Army and the ITBP personnel in the icy terrain near the India-China border in Uttarakhand.
(With inputs from PTI)
PM Modi Meets Party Staffers At BJP Headquarters PM Modi Chairs Security Meet Amid Rising Terror Attacks In Jammu PM Modi Likely To Meet BJP Workers At Party Headquarters Tomorrow Shooter Had Trump's Face Right In Middle Of Crosshairs, Shows New Video World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Barack Obama Wants Joe Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report Israeli Strike Kills Field Commander In Elite Hezbollah Unit: Report Delhi-San Francisco Air India Flight Diverted To Russia After Engine Glitch Congress Does Not Want Manipur Like Situation In Tripura: Gaurav Gogoi Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.