PLA contacted, efforts on to bring back 17-year-old Arunachal boy: Army
On Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Arunachal-East, Tapir Gao, in a series of tweets said that the teenager was abducted from inside the Indian territory at Lungta Jor under Siyungla area (Bishing village) of Upper Siang district.
The Indian Army on Thursday said that efforts are underway to bring back a 17-year-old boy who was allegedly abducted by China’s Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) from Arunachal Pradesh two days ago.
“17-year-old Miram Taron of Zido, Arunachal Pradesh was reportedly captured by PLA across the LAC (line of actual control),” Lt. Col. Harsh Wardhan Pande, PRO (Defence), Tezpur, Assam, said on Thursday.
“On receipt of info, Indian Army immediately contacted PLA through hotline. Assistance from PLA has been sought to locate and return him as per protocol,” he added.
Miram Taron, a resident of Zido village of Upper Siang district, was part of a group that had gone for hunting in the border area between the two countries on Tuesday when he was abducted by PLA, district authorities said.
On Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Arunachal-East, Tapir Gao, in a series of tweets said that the teenager was abducted from inside the Indian territory at Lungta Jor under Siyungla area (Bishing village) of Upper Siang district.
He said the news of his abduction was revealed by his friend who managed to escape from the PLA. Gao also claimed that China has built 3-4 kms of road in that area inside Indian territory in 2018.
Shashwat Saurabh, deputy commissioner of Upper Siang, said the district administration is in continuous contact with the Indian Army, who is making all efforts to bring back the boy.
On Thursday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter, attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his “silence” on the abduction of the Arunachal youth.
“Just days ahead of Republic Day, the Chinese have abducted an Indian citizen. We are with the family of Miram Taron. We will not lose hope and we will not accept defeat. But the PM’s meek silence shows that the incident doesn’t bother him,” the former Congress president tweeted in Hindi.
In September 2020, five youths from Tagin tribe, who worked as porters for Indian Army, had gone missing from Upper Subansiri district on the Indian side of the McMahon line, bifurcating Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet autonomous region (TAR) of China. Following their disappearance, a brother of one of the youths posted on social media that they had been ‘abducted’ by PLA. The same accusation was made by BJP MP Tapir Gao and Congress MLA Ninong Ering from Pasighat .
It was later revealed that the youths had strayed across the border during an expedition to hunt and collect medicinal herbs. They were handed back to India after 10 days by Chinese authorities.
