Rajnath performs ‘shastra puja’

BIKANER: Home Minister Rajnath Singh Friday celebrated Dussehra and performed ‘shastra puja’ in this forward post of the BSF along the highly sensitive Indo-pak border, officials said.

This was for the first time that a senior minister of the central government conducted the ‘shastra puja’ or worship of weapons on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami along India’s border with Pakistan.

The home minister, who arrived at the frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) here last evening, celebrated Dussehra festival with the jawans, an official said.

‘Shastra puja’ is part of the Dussehra festival which is celebrated for the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana.

During the two-day visit, the home minister interacted with the family members of the BSF personnel, attended a feast with the jawans and addressed the security personnel, another official said.

Singh also reviewed the situation on the border and assessed the progress in various infrastructure projects.

The 3,323-km-long Indopak border is considered to be highly sensitive. Even though the border in Rajasthan is peaceful, the border guarding forces of the two countries often engaged in massive firing in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to loss of human lives and properties. Last year, the home minister had celebrated Dussehra at Joshimath in Uttarakhand along the Sino-indian border.