As many as 300 heavily prepared troops of the Chinese Army (PLA) were sent to the LAC or Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector during a clash with Indian Army troops on December 9, but they did not expect the Indian side to be well prepared either.
Indian troops deployed in the face-off area in Tawang sector gave a befitting reply to the Chinese troops and the number of Chinese soldiers injured in the encounter is more than the number of Indian soldiers. Here’s what we know so far about the Indo-Chinese troop clash in Arunachal LAC:
1. Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh last week, according to Indian officials familiar with the matter, the first such clash between the neighbors since 2020, Bloomberg reported.
2. The incident took place on December 9 and resulted in minor injuries on both sides. Both sides have since withdrawn from the area, sources told ANI, adding that military commanders have met to discuss the matter.
3. At least 6 soldiers injured in the encounter in Tawang sector were shifted to Guwahati for treatment.
4. They said PLA troops contacted the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector, which was attacked by Indian troops in a “firm and decisive manner”.
5. Sources said that in certain areas along the LAC in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, there are areas of difference of perception where both sides are patrolling the area up to their claim lines. This has been a trend since 2006.
6. Indian and Chinese troops engaged in hand-to-hand combat in June 2020 in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, adjacent to the Chinese-controlled Tibetan Plateau.
7. The incident resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers who were killed while China suffered an undisclosed number of casualties.
8. India and China share an undemarcated border of 3,800 km where their troops have previously followed long-standing protocols to avoid using any firearms along the de facto border known as the Line of Actual Control.
9. In January 2021, Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a face-off at a disputed stretch in the Nakula area of ​​North Sikkim.
10. In 2017, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a 73-day standoff in the Doklam tri-junction area, which even raised fears of a war between the two neighbours.
