India, China soldiers clash in Arunachal Pradesh

Two sides first fight by hurling stones, and then engage in hand-to-hand combat

Indian Army personnel during a drill at Kibithu near the LAC in Anjaw, Arunachal Pradesh, in March 2018.: PTI picture

Imran Ahmed Siddiqui   |   TT  |  New Delhi   |   13.12.22 : Indian and Chinese troops clashed along the Line of Actual Control in Yangtze in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday, leaving “12 to 15” Indian soldiers and a “higher number” of Chinese injured, defence ministry sources said.

They said several Indian soldiers suffered fractures in the violence, which took place after Chinese soldiers tried to cross over to the Indian side and were challenged by Indian troops.

The two sides first fought by hurling stones before getting engaged in hand-to-hand combat, with the Chinese using clubs fitted with nails, the sources said.

The clash is the first since the violent confrontation of June 15, 2020, in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, where 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troopers were killed. There too the Chinese were said to have used similar clubs.

Earlier, a senior defence ministry official, asking not to be quoted, had sent journalists a carefully worded message that said both sides had suffered only “minor injuries”. 

“On December 9, People’s Liberation Army troops contacted the LAC in Tawang sector, which was contested by the Indian army in a firm and resolute manner. This face-off led to minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides,” the message said.

Both sides immediately disengaged from the area. Later, the local Indian army commander held a flag meeting with his Chinese counterpart to discuss the issue in accordance with structured mechanisms “to restore peace and tranquility”.

“In certain areas along the LAC in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh, there are areas of differing perception, wherein both sides patrol the area up to their claim lines. This has been the trend since 2006,” the message from the official said.

Of the 3,488km LAC, a stretch of 1,346km falls in the eastern sector. In eastern Ladakh, Indian and Chinese soldiers have been locked in a border standoff at multiple transgression points since May 2020. The Chinese are estimated to have taken over close to 1,000sq km of India-claimed territory in Ladakh.