Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Rajouri district on Sunday to celebrate Diwali with Army troops guarding the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The prime minister’s visit coincided with Infantry Day celebrations, which is observed to mark the landing of first Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 to push back Pakistan supported intruders, reports Hindustan Times.

Modi directly flew to the Army Brigade Headquarters in the border district to interact with the troops deployed along the LoC, the officials said.

This is for the third time that the prime minister visited Jammu and Kashmir to celebrate Diwali with the troops in the border state since 2014, and first after the abrogation of Article 370 provisions.