Defence minister Rajnath Singh will reach here on Thursday to pay homage to the military personnel who had lost their lives during a landslide at Tupul in Manipur in June and will meet their family members.
Last month, 19 residents of Bengal — all serving in the 107 Territorial Army — had died in the landslide. Of them, 16 are from the Darjeeling hills, one is from Jalpaiguri and two from North 24-Parganas.
“Tomorrow, 18th August, I shall be visiting Bagdogra and Imphal. I shall be paying respects to the armed forces personnel who lost their lives due to a landslide in June,” Singh tweeted on Wednesday.
Singh will land in Bagdogra and head for the Bengdubi military station, a few kilometres away. There, he will pay respects to the deceased and felicitate the next of their kin.
“Senior officers of the defence forces will be present at the event,” said a source.
A few days ago, the Bengal government had announced the jobs of home guard volunteers for the wives of all the 19 deceased soldiers. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced a compensation of Rs two lakh for each of the families.
Singh’s visit to meet the families of the soldiers is politically significant, said observers.
“The BJP won the Darjeeling Parliament seat thrice since 2009. Also, hundreds of youths from the hills serve in the armed forces. It is evident that the party will make all efforts to drive home the point that the Centre is with the families of the deceased soldiers and the hill residents as a whole,” said an observer.
During his visit, the defence minister will also interact with senior officers of the armed forces.
In terms of national security, the Siliguri corridor (the slimmest part of the Indian subcontinent) is strategically important. Especially after the Doklam standoff between the Indian and Chinese troops in 2017, the region has been the constant focus of the Centre.
“Last month, satellite images revealed that China had come up with new settlements in the east of Doklam. The minister’s visit is important in this regard,” said a retired army officer.
From Bengdubi, Singh will return to Bagdogra and take a flight to Imphal. There, he will attend the Durand Cup 2022 at Khuman Lampak Stadium, sources said.
