Northern army commander takes stock of situation in Kashmir Valley

Against the backdrop of the continuing operation against a group of heavily-armed infiltrators near the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian army's northern command chief Saturday began a four-day visit to the Valley to take stock of the situation.

Lt.Gen. Sanjiv Chachra is visiting to "take stock of the security situation following "recent increased incidents of infiltration attempt by militants along the LOC", said a defence statement released here.

"He along with Lt. Gen. Gurmit Singh, (Srinagar-based) Chinar Corps commander, visited the headquarters of sector Rashtriya Rifles where he was briefed by the commanders on the prevailing security scenario in their areas of responsibility," the statement said.

"He also carried out the aerial recce of forward posts. He expressed his satisfaction over the preparedness of the security forces in ensuring safety and security of the people in the Valley and praised the high level of synergy existing among the police, CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) and army."

The statement also said in the next two days, the army commander is scheduled to visit the forward formations and units to review the anti-infiltration grid and also the ongoing operations being conducted by the army.

The army commander also called on Governor N.N. Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar.