20 Indian personnel sustained minor injuries in LAC encounter on 9 December; Commanders from both sides hold a flag meeting to discuss the issue and restore peace
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| This is the first such incident since June, 2020 Image credit by-google |
Indian and Chinese soldiers sustained "minor injuries" following a face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector on December 9, the Army said on Monday evening. The clash on the Yangtze was reported by The Hindu earlier in the day. According to multiple sources around 20 Indian soldiers and many more from the Chinese side were injured
“On December 09, 2022, People's Liberation Army (PLA) forces approached the LAC in Tawang sector, which was contested by own forces in a firm and determined manner. "The encounter resulted in minor injuries to some personnel from both sides," the army said in a statement after reports of the incident. "Both sides immediately evacuated the area."
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Following the incident, commanders from both sides in the areas held a flag meeting to discuss the issue in accordance with structured procedures to restore peace and tranquility, the army said. At certain areas along the LAC in the Tawang sector, there are areas of distinct perception in which both sides patrol the area up to their claim lines. This has been a trend since 2006, the army added.
This is the first incident of its kind since 20 Indian soldiers were killed and several others injured in a violent clash with PLA forces in Ladakh's Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020.
Stating that the clash occurred as a large PLA patrol came towards India, an army source said "casualties on the Chinese side were higher than on the Indian side". At least three different units of the Indian Army are known to have been present during the encounter.
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According to another source, some soldiers sustained fractured limbs during the encounter and are said to be recuperating in a hospital in Guwahati. Around 600 PLA soldiers were present when the clashes took place, sources said.
This is not the first time that Indian and Chinese troops have clashed in Arunachal Pradesh. As the border is not defined, Indian and Chinese forces frequently clash while patrolling the area. In October 2021, a similar incident took place when the Indian Army detained some Chinese soldiers of a large patrol for a few hours while engaging in a minor encounter near the Yangtze.
Over the past few years, the Army has significantly upgraded firepower and infrastructure along the LAC in the Tawang sector and a similar effort is underway in the rest of Arunachal Pradesh (RALP). This includes upgrading of road infrastructure, bridges, tunnels, shelter and other storage facilities, aviation facilities and communication and surveillance, especially in the Upper Dibang Valley region, as reported earlier.
As previously reported by The Hindu, there has been a change in the pattern of PLA patrols, with larger patrols now coming to stake their claim. Before the 2020 crisis in eastern Ladakh, Chinese bases were mostly located further away from the LAC.
Officials had earlier said that most of the violations in the last few years were in the western zone, but the trend of violations in the eastern and central zones was increasing. LAC is divided into Western (Ladakh), Central (Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), Sikkim and Eastern (Arunachal Pradesh) zones.
In eastern Ladakh, India and China have been close at many points along the LAC, which has not been defined for more than two years. Several rounds of negotiations at the diplomatic and military levels have eased the stand-off in some areas, turning areas into no-patrol zones, while construction continues in others.
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