Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh for early decision on raising Strike Corps in Northeast

Against the backdrop of Chinese incursion, Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh is understood to have pressed the government today for an early decision on a proposal to raise a Strike Corps in the northeast to meet any security threat in the eastern sector.

This issue is believed to have figured when the Army Chief briefed Defence Minister A K Antony on the prevailing security situation along the Line of Actual Control in wake of the recent incursion by Chinese troops in Ladakh, sources said.

The top Army brass made a presentation on the present security situation along the LAC in the aftermath of the recent Chinese incursion and steps taken by the force to prevent and handle such incidents, they said.

The meeting was also attended by top security brass of the country including National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma.

The Army has been pushing for a new Strike Corps to be raised along the border with China for quite some time now but it has been hanging fire due to one reasons or the other.

Under the proposal, Army wants to raise formations including new armoured divisions and artillery brigades along with the China border and the IAF has also been asked to deploy its new assets in support of it.

In the meeting, the Army officials are understood to have told Antony about the changes that have taken place in the security situation after the Chinese incursion and its impact on the Indian Army's capabilities to monitor its activities there.

The Army had to withdraw from its positions in Chumar area after the incursion by the Chinese troops in Daulat Beg Oldi sector and the stand-off ended after the two sides agreed to move back to the pre-April 15 positions.

The Economic Times