'It’s not 1962 anymore': Arunachal CM talks tough on India-China clash in Tawang

India-China clash in Tawang: Hours after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed the Parliament about the border clash in Arunchal's Tawang, state chief minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday said the Indian soldiers were responding in a resolute manner to Chinese PLA's aggression along the LAC. In a tweet, the Arunachal CM said: "Yangtse is under my assembly constituency and every year I meet the Jawans and villagers of the area. It’s not 1962 anymore. If anyone tries to transgress, our brave soldiers will give a befitting reply."

Last Friday, the Chinese PLA troops tried to transgress the LAC in the Yangtse area of the Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo. The attempt was contested by the Indian troops, which led to a physical scuffle in which soldiers from both sides suffered minor injuries. The Indian Army prevented the PLA troops - which were about 300 in number - from transgressing into Indian territory and compelled them to return to their posts.

In Parliament, the defence minister said the scuffle led to injuries to a few personnel on both sides and that there were no fatalities or serious casualties on the Indian side. He said due to the timely intervention of Indian military commanders, the PLA soldiers went back to their locations. As a follow-up of the incident, the local commander in the area held a Flag Meeting with his counterpart on 11 December to discuss the issue in accordance with established mechanisms.

"The Chinese side was asked to refrain from such actions and maintain peace and tranquility along the border. The issue has also been taken up with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels," Rajnath Singh said in Parliament.

This is the first border clash between the Indian and Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley, where India lost 20 soldiers. Before that, the Indian and Chinese troops had engaged in a standoff in Doklam in 2017. In Ladakh, both countries were able to defuse the tensions at key friction points after 16 rounds of military-level talks. However, Depsang Plains is one region that is yet to be settled.

Here, the Chinese have cut access patrolling access to Indian troops at five traditional points. In Ladakh, experts say China has managed to create buffer zones in areas claimed by India, which means the Indian troops will not patrol the area they had been for years.    

Strategic thinker and author Brahma Chellaney said the latest clash underscores the enduring costs of India’s failure to prevent China’s stealth land grabs. "Was India lulled into complacency? Was strategic intelligence lacking? And why did the Army leadership take its eyes off China’s unusually large, wintertime military exercise?" he asked in a tweet.

In another tweet on Monday, he said the Himalayan buildup of rival forces since China’s April 2020 stealth land grabs in India’s Ladakh may not be making headlines, "but periodic troop clashes, including the latest along Tibet-Arunachal border that left wounded soldiers on both sides, underscore the larger dangers".

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force is closely monitoring the situation along the LAC in Arunachal, people familiar with the development told the news agency PTI.  The IAF has stepped up its overall surveillance in the areas and has increased the frequency of the sorties by its combat jets in the region.