President visits Baramulla; Drass trip cancelled

President Ram Nath Kovind, who is on a four-day tour to Jammu and Kashmir, visited Baramulla in northern Kashmir on Monday and participated in the 22nd anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas.

Kovind’s scheduled visit to the Kargil War Memorial in Drass, was cancelled due to bad weather. This is the third time he has not been able to visit Kargil in last three years. In 2019, he stayed in Srinagar due to inclement weather. In 2020, no celebrations were scheduled due to the Covid19 pandemic.

Officials said that the President’s Chopper on Monday faced inclement weather enroute due to which he couldn't visit Drass. Instead, he visited the War Memorial in Baramulla to pay homage to the fallen soldiers of the Kargil war. The war memorial in Drass is now in the Union Territory of Ladakh, where the armies of India and China have engaged in a faceoff for over a year now.


The President was received by Major General Virendra Vats, General Officer Commanding, Baramulla Division, and was briefed about the town’s history and contributions to various operations post-independence. Kovind interacted with the soldiers of Baramulla Division.

He later visited the High Altitude Warfare School, located in the world famous ski resort of Gulmarg, which is also near the Line of Control in northern Kashmir. A cultural programme was arranged at the Raj Bhawan in the evening. He was scheduled to meet former chief minister and sitting Lok Sabha member Dr Farooq Abdullah. A senior government official said the President also met some political leaders at the Raj Bhawan including J&K Apni party chief Altaf Bukhari. He also chaired a meeting with army officials, who briefed him on the ground situation and the emerging security scenario in the region.

On Tuesday, he will address the 19^th annual convocation of the Kashmir University.

In wake of the President’s visit, both the approach roads towards the Raj Bhawan were sealed and traffic diverted. Armed forces were deployed at all major junctions in the city and the Boulevard road around Dal Lake, a favourite tourist attraction at the foothills of Zabarwan, remained a no-go zone for all.