PLA tried to change status quo, repelled by Indian troops: Singh on Tawang clash

NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said 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.

In a statement in Lok Sabha, 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.

The clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers came amid ongoing border tensions between the Indian Amy and PLA in the sensitive Ladakh sector.

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 casualties our side. Due to timely intervention of Indian military commanders, PLA soldiers went back to their locations.”

He said local commanders from the two armies held a flag meeting in the area on December 11 to discuss the issue. “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 will continue to thwart such attempts.

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.

“PLA troops contacted the LAC in Tawang sector which was contested by own troops in a firm and resolute manner. This face-off led to minor injuries to few personnel from both sides,” the army said in a statement on Monday.

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 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.