Rajnath Singh reviews operational preparedness and border infrastructure along LAC in Sikkim

Key facts

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday (November 7, 2026) reviewed the army's operational preparedness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Sikkim, focusing on border infrastructure and advanced military equipment.
• Singh was briefed at the Sukna-headquartered 33 Corps near Siliguri, with Army chief General Dhiraj Seth, Eastern Army commander Lt Gen VMB Krishnan and corps commander Lt Gen Man Raj Singh Mann present.
• At Air Force Station Bagdogra, Singh asked the armed forces to strengthen cyber resilience, information integrity and domain awareness to counter threats including cyber-attacks, drone swarms and information operations.
• Singh is scheduled to visit the Sherathang war memorial in Sikkim on Diwali to pay tribute to soldiers killed in the 1967 Nathu La and Cho La clashes with China, in which Indian casualties were 88 against 340 on the Chinese side per one account.
• The revamped Agnipath scheme, announced by CDS General NS Raja Subramani on November 4, gives existing Agniveers who miss retention two more years of service and another chance at permanent enrolment, subject to eligibility criteria and consent; provisions for those starting training after December 31 will be revisited.
• A December 2025 parliamentary committee report on India-Bangladesh relations flagged China's growing footprint in Bangladesh through infrastructure, port development and military cooperation near the Siliguri Corridor.