Normalcy has not returned to Kashmir: General Deepak Kapoor

Newly appointed Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor on Monday said normalcy had not yet returned to Jammu and Kashmir.

New Delhi, Oct. 1 : Newly appointed Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor on Monday said normalcy had not yet returned to Jammu and Kashmir.

General Deepak Kapoor, who took over the position of Army Chief from General Joginder Jaswant Singh on Sunday, said, "The decision to withdraw troops from Jammu and Kashmir and the north-east should be taken only after considering the situation in these states."

General Kapoor, who received a guard of honour at the defence headquarters here on his first day at office, said modernisation of the Indian Army was his number one priority.

"I have already said that force modernisation remains first priority. Security, better cultural ethos within armed forces is the priority ...to ensure that the army becomes an effective fighting force across the entire spectrum is a priority," he added.

The army has been battling separatists in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the north- east more than a decade.

General Kapoor has taken charge as the 23rd Chief of the Army Staff.

He participated in the 1971 India-Pakistan War and has also served as the Chief Operations Officer for all United Nations Forces deployed in Somalia from 1994 to 1995.

An avid reader, General Kapoor served as a Brigade Commander and was deployed on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

He was awarded the Sena Medal for his devotion to duty in January 1998, and during the Operation Parakram, he commanded one of the most prestigious divisions of a Strike Corps.

He has also commanded troops in the North East, along the India-China border.

He was awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in January 2006.

ANI