Jammu: Women and students reached out to hundreds of BSF, Army and CRPF personnel deployed along the India-Pakistan International Border and the Line of Control in the Jammu region on Thursday and tied rakhis on the soldiers' wrists on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
The celebrations were held at various border locations in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch districts, where women and students expressed gratitude to the security personnel guarding the country's frontiers.
In the RS Pura sector, schoolgirls met BSF personnel, applied tilak and tied rakhis, praying for their long lives and safety.
At the Suchetgarh Octroi Post, hundreds of schoolchildren gathered to celebrate the festival with BSF troops. The children tied sacred threads to the soldiers as a gesture of respect, gratitude and brotherhood.
Similar celebrations were held in Samba, where villagers and school-children visited BSF personnel deployed along the border and exchanged greetings with the troops.
In Kathua's Hiranagar sector, students of Bharati Vidya Mandir School tied tricolour rakhis on the wrists of CRPF officers and personnel at the CRPF Group Centre, honouring their dedication to the nation.
The celebrations also extended to forward areas along the LoC(Line of Control) in Akhnoor, Rajouri and Poonch, where women and girls tied rakhis to Army personnel and conveyed their good wishes.
A local woman, Sarita, said it was a special feeling to celebrate Raksha Bandhan with the BSF personnel who remain deployed at the border to protect the people.
"For these brothers who stay deployed at the border to protect us, coming here to tie rakhis on them and making them feel at home is truly special," she said.
Neha, a Class 10 student who tied rakhis to BSF personnel, said she felt happy celebrating the festival with soldiers who were away from their families.
"I have many brothers added to my extended family. I wish them the best in their lives," she said.
BJP MLA Devyani Singh Rana also sent rakhis along with letters to BSF personnel guarding the borders and Army soldiers stationed along the LoC.
Rana said a campaign had been launched to send messages to the country's "bravehearts" and urged the younger generation to come forward and express solidarity with those guarding the borders.
