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‘Not 1962 anymore’: Arunachal CM on India-China border skirmish in Tawang sector
The Indian Army and China’s Peoples Liberation Army clashed along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector on December 9, resulting in injuries on both sides
A day after reports emerged of yet another face-off between Indian and Chinese armies along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, chief minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday said Indian troops will give a befitting reply to anyone who tries to transgress into “our” territory.
The Indian Army and China’s Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) clashed along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector last week on December 9, resulting in injuries on both sides, the army said in an official statement on Monday.
“It’s not 1962 (Sino-Indian War) anymore. If anyone tries to transgress, our brave soldiers will give a befitting reply,” Khandu said on Twitter.
The 1962 war resulted in heavy casualties on both sides along the international border in Arunachal Pradesh, which eventually ended with China agreeing for ceasefire.
“Yangste is under my assembly constituency and every year I meet the jawans and villagers in the area,” the CM added.
This is not the first time Khandu has compared the situation along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh with the 1962 war. He drew parallels even in October 2020 while speaking at an event in the memory of a soldier who died in Sino-Indian conflict, and last month while paying respects to martyrs of the war at the Tawang War Memorial.
“Back in 1962, the situation was very different. The infrastructure in the region was very poor. Despite that, the Indian Army fought bravely and sacrificed thousands of lives to protect our motherland. But today, we are not where we were in 1962,” Khandu said on November 21.
“The vast infrastructure development in the last eight years witnessed in the region, particularly along the border has been unprecedented. It is benefiting not only the civilians, but has also strengthened the presence and logistics of the Indian Army by leaps and bounds,” he said.
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Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday confirmed the incident in Arunachal Pradesh’s Yangtse sector, and informed the Parliament that Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo along the contested border.
“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 in the Lok Sabha.
The clash between the two sides has come amid an ongoing border skirmish between the Indian Amy and PLA in the sensitive Ladakh sector along the LAC.
