No casualties, India pushed China back at LAC: Rajnath
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday told Parliament that Chinese troops attempted to transgress the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Yangtse sector on December 9, and unilaterally change the status quo along the contested border, but were pushed back by Indian soldiers.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday told Parliament that Chinese troops attempted to transgress the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Yangtse sector on December 9, and unilaterally change the status quo along the contested border, but were pushed back by Indian soldiers.
In statements made in both Houses, 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.”
Singh said the scuffle led to injuries to a few personnel on both sides. “I wish to share with this House that there are no fatalities or serious injuries our side. Due to timely intervention, of Indian military commanders, PLA soldiers went back to their locations.”
The minister said the issue was taken up the level of the local commanders and also raised with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels. The clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers came in the midst of ongoing border tensions between the Indian Amy and PLA in the sensitive Ladakh sector where the two sides have been locked in a standoff for more than 30 months.
Singh said local commanders from the two armies held a flag meeting on December 11 to discuss the issue in line with established mechanisms. “The Chinese side was asked to refrain from such actions and maintain peace and tranquillity along the border.” He said Indian forces were committed to protecting India’s territorial integrity and would continue to thwart such attempts.
“I am confident that this entire House will stand united in supporting our soldiers in their brave effort,” the minister added.
Parliament proceedings, meanwhile, were disrupted as the Opposition locked horns with the government over the issue. Opposition parties in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha walked out after their demand for a detailed discussion on the issue was not met.
In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded that the issue be taken up under Rule 267, suspending the business for the day. “Our national security and territorial integrity is being impinged upon by brazen Chinese transgressions as the government remains a mute spectator,” Kharge said.
In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla urged all lawmakers to support the valour and grit of the Indian soldiers as the Opposition leaders demanded a debate on the issue.
More than 300 Chinese soldiers were present in the area where the skirmish took place, but a well-prepared Indian side mounted a swift response to repel the intruding force, officials familiar with the development said.
The Indian side retaliated effectively and thwarted the PLA’s attempt to transgress into the sensitive areas, said former director general of military operations Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd). “The PLA regularly attempts to change the status quo in the Yangtse area by coming into our side. The Indian side thwarted the attempt once again. The army will continue to keep vigil in the area and is fully prepared to deal with such transgressions in the future too. Not only in Yangtse but in all sectors,” Bhatia added.
The Indian Army and PLA have been locked in a standoff along LAC in eastern Ladakh since May 2020. That standoff is in its third year, with a full resolution still not in sight even though the two sides have had partial success in disengaging frontline soldiers from some friction areas on LAC and talks are on to end the deadlock that has cast a shadow over the bilateral relationship.
While Ladakh has been at the centre of the current border tensions between India and China, PLA has ramped up its activities in the eastern sector too.
Scores of Indian and Chinese soldiers were involved in a tense face-off in the Yangtse area last year too. The October 2021 face-off took place when rival patrols came face-to-face near Yangtse, with the soldiers asking each other to retreat to their respective sides. The face-off lasted a few hours before the matter was resolved at the level of local commanders.
The eastern sector has its own complexities as China claims all of Arunachal Pradesh, and there are several sensitive areas along LAC where face-offs could escalate into bigger confrontations. Tawang is historically and strategically an important area in Arunachal Pradesh and that is why a complete Corps is deployed here, said former Northern Army commander lieutenant general (retd) DS Hooda.
“Rest of Arunachal Pradesh called RALP poses a geographic challenge due to the many rivers that cut across this area. This part of the state is also not so well developed in terms of road connectivity. Now that we are seeing greater Chinese activity and aggression along the LAC, Arunachal needs greater focus,” Hooda added.
The Yangtse skirmish has turned the spotlight onvillages set up by China inits borderareas as one such settlement may have been used by PLAas a staging point for the ingress, people familiar with the development said. China has built hundreds of ‘xiaokang,’or moderatelyprosperous,villages across LACin areas stretching from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, with some of thenew settlements coming up in proximity tostrategically important positions on the Indian side,and could have potential security ramifications.
The Indian Army, which was focused on counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast for decades, has carried out an overarching reorientation of its forces to sharpen its focus on LAC, even as induction of new weapons and systems, capability building and a strong infrastructure push form the bedrock of its strategy to counter challenges along the border with China.
