In the clash between Indian Army and Chinese PLA on December 9, 2022, several Indian Army soldiers sustained injuries and they are undergoing treatment at Guwahati. There is no confirmation on the number of Indian Army soldiers getting injured; however, multiple sources have indicated that the numbers could be between 15-20.
The injured soldiers were airlifted on December 9, 2022, afternoon and were admitted to 151 Base Hospital of Basistha.
Late Monday evening (December 12, 2022), Indian Army said that the Indian and Chinese soldiers had suffered minor injuries after they were engaged in a face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) about 35 kms from Tawang.
The injuries on the Chinese troops who came armed with crude weapons like taser guns, spiked clubs are more than what was sustained on the Indian side. They were around 200 in number and were initially challenged by around 50 soldiers before the backup arrived.
The Commanders on both sides held a Flag Meeting to discuss the issue in accordance with structured mechanisms which are already in place and have been agreed upon by both countries.
According to the Indian Army there are certain areas in the Tawang Sector along the LAC of differing perception. Since 2006 the trend has been that both sides patrol the area up to their claim lines.
The Indian Army on Monday evening had stated that the injuries on the Chinese side were much higher than on the Indian side.
According to different sources at least three different units of the Indian Army were present at the time of the clash which took place on December 9, 2022.
Is this the first incident of its kind since June 2020?
Yes. This is the first such incident since June 15, 2020 incident in which 20 Indian Army soldiers were killed and several others were injured. The violent clash as reported by Financial Express Online that year was in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley with the PLA troops.
Is this the first face-off in Arunachal Pradesh?
No. This is not the first time. There have been face-offs between the troops of both sides in Arunachal Pradesh and this is due to the undefined boundary between India and China and this leads to face-off while patrolling the area, explained a senior officer.
Financial Express Online has reported earlier, that last October (2021), a similar incident had taken place. At that time some Chinese PLA troops of a large patrol team were detained by the Indian Army for a few hours as they engaged in a minor face-off near Yangtse.
Chinese Bullying
The Chinese PLA patrol comes with a larger number of troops to assert their claims. This means the Chinese continue with their bullying tactics.
In the last few years, the majority of the transgressions have been in the Western Sectors and there has been witnessed that the number of transgressions in the eastern and middle sectors has gone up.
For easy understanding – the LAC is divided into different sectors – Western (Ladakh), Middle (Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh), Sikkim and eastern (Arunachal Pradesh) sectors.
According to reports, in the eastern Ladakh both India and China are positioned in close proximity in many locations along the LAC which has been undefined for more than two years now. There have been several rounds of talks at different levels including diplomatic and military levels. At the end of these rounds stand-off at a few points have been eased, which means the areas have turned into no-patrolling zones. However, there are areas where the build-up continues.
Infrastructure & Fire power
There has been a significant upgraded firepower as well as the infrastructure along the LAC in the Tawang sector and efforts are underway in the rest of Arunachal Pradesh (RALP).
And these include bridges, tunnels, habitat, storage facilities, roads infrastructure, and aviation facilities. And there has been an up-gradation of communication and surveillance especially in the upper region of Dibang Valley.