Indian forces have clashed with Chinese troops in a disputed area along the border, the first such flare-up in more than a year.The nations had been working to de-escalate tensions since a major clash killed at least 24 troops in 2020.
But on Monday, the Indian army said there had been a clash in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh state last Friday, the eastern tip of India.Both sides were involved with a few soldiers suffering minor injuries.
The Indian Army’s three units belonging to different infantry regiments thwarted the Chinese troops’ bid to change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control or LAC at Yangtse in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9.
The troops belonging to three different battalions, including Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Jat regiment and Sikh Light Infantry, were present at the location of the clash last week when the Chinese tried to unilaterally change the status quo in the area, sources told the media.
One of the units of the Indian Army was on its way out of there and was being relieved by a new unit. However, the Chinese chose to clash on a day when both units were present in the area.
During the clash, the report added, the Chinese Army had come along with drones apparently to shoot the entire clash in which they were expecting to outnumber Indian soldiers. The Chinese had come with over 300 troops who were pelting stones in an attempt to attack the Indian position but were beaten back badly and forced to retreat to their side of the LAC, the sources added.
In a statement made in Lok Sabha, Rajnath Singh said, “The Chinese attempt was contested by our troops in a firm and resolute manner. The ensuing face-off led to a physical scuffle in which the Indian Army bravely prevented the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts.” The minister said the issue was taken up with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels.
China said the situation along the border with India was “generally stable”. Hours after the comments by the Chinese foreign ministry on the Sino-India border situation, senior colonel Long Shaohua, spokesman of the Western Theatre Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), issued a statement, claiming that the clash on December 9 took place when its troops on regular patrol on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) were blocked by Indian soldiers.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin addressing a media briefing here said the two sides have maintained smooth communication on boundary-related issues through diplomatic and military channels.
Chief minister Pema Khandu asserted that Indian soldiers are capable of giving a “befitting reply” to any external aggression. He also maintained that “it is not 1962 anymore’” referring to the Chinese intrusion deep into India that year. “Yangtse is under my assembly constituency (Mukto) and every year I meet the army jawans and villagers of the area,” Khandu tweeted. “It’s not 1962 anymore. If anyone tries to transgress, our brave soldiers will give a befitting reply,” he added.
MPs of the Congress and other opposition parties on Tuesday staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha after they were denied permission to seek clarifications on Rajnath Singh’s statement on the clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh. Members of the CPI, CPI-M, Shiv Sena, RJD, SP and the JMM joined the Congress members in staging a walkout from the House.
Union home minister Amit Shah claimed no one can capture one inch of land till the Narendra Modi government is in power.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) scrambled fighter jets last week following China’s increasing air activities on its side of the LAC, news agency PTI reported. The deployment of some aerial platforms, including drones by China in the region, preceded the Chinese attempts to unilaterally change the status quo in the area.
