New Delhi, November 7, 2026: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is marking Deepavali (Diwali) 2026 with personnel of the Indian Armed Forces deployed in forward areas, including along the India-China border in Sikkim. The two-day engagement underscores the longstanding practice of senior defence leadership spending major national festivals with troops serving in high-altitude and operationally sensitive sectors.
On Saturday, November 7 (the eve of Diwali), the Defence Minister is interacting with Indian Army personnel at Bagdogra Airfield in Darjeeling and at Sukna near Siliguri in West Bengal. Sukna is a key military station associated with the Trishakti Corps (33 Corps). Upon arrival at Bagdogra Airport, he was received by West Bengal Minister Shankar Ghosh and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit.
On Sunday, November 8 (Diwali), Singh will visit the Sherathang War Memorial in East Sikkim, located near the Nathu La pass on the India-China border. There, he will pay tributes to soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation and interact with defence personnel deployed in the region.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Defence Minister stated: “On the eve of Diwali today, I shall be in Darjeeling to interact with our brave Defence Forces personnel at Bagdogra airfield and Sukna (Siliguri). Tomorrow, 08th November, I shall be visiting Sherathang War Memorial in Sikkim to pay my tributes to India’s brave-hearts who laid down their lives while serving the nation. I shall also be interacting with the defence personnel deployed in the region.”
The Sherathang War Memorial (also referred to as the Watershed Martyr’s Memorial) commemorates Indian Army personnel who laid down their lives while guarding the Indo-China frontier in Sikkim, including those who fell during the 1967 Nathu La and Cho La clashes. The memorial stands as a reminder of the sacrifices made in one of the most strategically sensitive stretches of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Rajnath Singh has made it a practice to celebrate major festivals with frontline troops. He traditionally marks Vijayadashami (Dussehra) with personnel at key military stations, though he could not do so this year owing to an official visit abroad. In 2025, he celebrated Dussehra with troops at the Bhuj Military Station in Gujarat, participating in a traditional “Bada Khana” and Shastra Puja, and also witnessed a multi-agency exercise near the India-Pakistan border. In 2024, he celebrated Diwali with soldiers at the 4 Corps Headquarters in Tezpur, Assam, and Holi with personnel at the Leh Military Station in Ladakh.
The visit to the Nathu La sector takes place against the backdrop of ongoing efforts by India and China to maintain peace and stability along the LAC. In September 2026, the Indian and Chinese armies held their first Corps Commander-level meeting in the Eastern Sector, extending the military dialogue mechanism beyond the Western (Ladakh) sector. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief Shatrujeet Kapur recently noted that face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces had continued at multiple locations along the LAC since July, including in Arunachal Pradesh. Separately, cross-border trade through the Nathu La pass resumed in August 2026 after a suspension of more than six years.
The Defence Minister’s presence with troops on Deepavali is intended to boost morale and convey the nation’s recognition of the service rendered by personnel stationed far from their families in demanding high-altitude conditions.
