India-China Boundary Dispute And Fighting In Tawang

VAISHALI BASU SHARMA explains why till there is the clear delineation of a single common boundary between India and China, patrols on both sides can be expected to face off in skirmishes like the latest one in the Tawang sector

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Violent confrontations between Indian and Chinese soldiers in contested territories along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Himalayan borderlands have become common. But, for the most part, these encounters end uneventfully, without the firing of weapons or loss of life on either side.

Patrolling platoons have often engaged in intense physical altercations involving scuffles and stone throwing, which are then calmed through flag meetings between Chinese and Indian senior military officers. Recently (December 9) Indian and Chinese forces were yet again involved in a tense border standoff- this time in the Tawang sector in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The developments came to light through a report in The Hindu, stating that Indian and Chinese soldiers suffered minor injuries following a clash near the LAC in the Yangtse area. Opposition party members have been demanding a discussion on the Indian military’s face-off with China in Arunachal Pradesh on December 9. While the government has not acceded to this, a discussion on the Chinese intrusion in the Yangtse area is critical.

On December 13, in his statement to the parliament, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that on December 9 the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “tried to transgress the LAC in the Yangtse area of Tawang”. The Chinese attempt was fought off and the Indian Army “bravely prevented the PLA from transgressing into our territory”. He said that the two sides have since had a flag meeting and the Chinese side “was asked to refrain from such actions.”

According to media reports, the scale of the Chinese attack is worrying, as it involved almost six hundred PLA soldiers, implying that an entire battalion was deployed.