General Officer Commanding in Chief (GoC-in-C) Northern Command Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi on Friday visited the forward areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the eastern Ladakh sector and reviewed the operational preparedness of troops.

GoC-inC witnessed ex-Samghat - Unarmed Combat Package by fusing four traditional Indian martial arts and commended the martial spirit of soldiers. Northern Army Commander is on a four-day visit to Ladakh to review the operational preparedness of troops in the Union Territory. 

Lt Gen Upinder Dwivedi
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Northern Army commander visits forward areas at Lukung

Northern Army commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi visited forward areas at Lukung in eastern Ladakh and also reviewed the induction of new weapons and equipment. In eastern Ladakh India and China's army personnel are engaged in eyeball-to-eyeball positions.

Earlier Army chief, General Manoj Pande had also visited Ladakh for three days from May 12-14. During the visit, he toured various forward posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh and interacted with Field Commanders and Army soldiers deployed there.

GOC-in-C Northern Command Lt General Upendra Dwivedi
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Though disengagement by both sides has taken place in some of the areas, conflict persisted at many other posts.

India and China held the 14th and 15th rounds of the Senior Commanders' meeting in January and March respectively. Another round of talks between India and China's militaries is expected to take place shortly.

Army Commander honours 82-year-old porter

Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi honoured an 84-year-old local porter Tsetan Namgyal, for his devotion and services to Lieutenant Col Dhan Singh Thapa. Tsetan Namgyal played a very important role during the 1962 operation.

GOC-in-C Northern Command Lt General Upendra Dwivedi
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According to the official record octagenarian, Tsetan Namgyal is a familiar name in Army circles in the Chushul sector in the eastern Ladakh region. He lives in Yurgo of Pobrang village on the banks of Pangong Tso.

He was associated with the Indian Army at the age of 23 as a porter during the 1962 war with China. Tsetan Namgyal was serving with the Gorkha Regiment in the Ladakh region and he along with other soldiers was abducted for over six months and imprisoned in Yarken in China.

He continued to serve the Indian army at various places in India after release. As he was associated with Param Vir Chakra Dhan Singh Thapa, the locals call him in Thapa's name. Indian Army respects Tsetan Namgyal's contribution and supports him in his old age. Tsetan says it's a pride for him to be an uneducated layman to serve the Indian Army for ten years.