Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat reviews the passing-out parade of the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun on Saturday.

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 10

Chief of Army Staff Gen Bipin Rawat has ruled out recent Chinese intrusions at Barahoti in Uttarakhand as a serious threat to the country asserting that it was just a matter of perception for the two countries.Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of passing-out parade at the Indian Military Academy, where he was the reviewing officer, Gen Bipin Rawat saw no major threat to the country on possible Chinese intrusions into country, particularly Barahoti in Uttarakhand. He asserted that it was just a matter of perception due to lack of proper border alignment between the two countries.“It is just a matter of perception. We also use intrusions while patrolling and thus it is a matter of perception,” said the Army chief, adding that it was however more important that there was a better understanding between both India and China, rather than aggravating things.As for combat role for women officers’ in the Army, General Rawat said the women officers would initially be roped in military police and would gradually be taken into other combat roles. He said women officers were already doing well in service arms like Engineers and Signals. “Often during operations in insurgency-hit areas, the forces have to face women and under such conditions male members feel hesitant and here the presence of women officers in combat role can make a difference,” General Rawat pointed out. General Rawat said stone-pelters were misguided youth who were using social media as a tool and resorting to misinformation campaign. He said these were misguided youths who would have to be brought back to the mainstream. He asserted the Army was never in favour of violence but peace. He said to meet our terror challenges, the Army continued to make its training better and better. “Terror elements keep on innovating and thus we have to anticipate them and for this the Army needs to be fully trained at all the times,” he added.