Arunachal clash: China’s transgression was firmly contested, says Army Eastern Command chief

Lieutenant General Rana Pratap Kalita, the chief of Indian Army’s Eastern Command, said on Friday that the attempt by the Chinese army to “unilaterally change the status quo” by transgressing the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang on December 9 had been “contested firmly”, reported ANI.

Kalita said that the transgression took place at one of the areas along the Line of Actual Control that have been recognised as disputed by both India and China.

“I am happy to say that it was contained at the local level,” Kalita said. “Though some minor injuries were there to soldiers of both sides. I would also like to request you not to listen to any rumours, it was only minor injuries to soldiers from both sides.”

On Tuesday, India had said that Chinese soldiers attempted to change the status quo at the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector on December 9 by encroaching on the area, following which Indian troops retaliated.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that the clash led to “minor injuries” to a few soldiers on both sides. After the face-off, both sides immediately disengaged from the area, he added.

On its part, China alleged that Indian troops illegally crossed a disputed border in the Tawang sector, leading to clashes.

This was the first such incident since the clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh in June 2020.

On Friday, Kalita said that local commanders were able to resolve the matter after carrying out negotiations as per protocols. This was followed by a flag meeting at a delegation level at Bumla, he added.

“Presently, I would like to assure you that the border areas along the northern frontier are stable and we are firmly in control,” he said, according to ANI.

On Thursday, former Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane had said that China has “gained a lot over time” in its bid to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control. He had added that the Chinese troops come time and again at various points along the Line of Actual Control to make it seem as a “historical fact” that they have been patrolling those areas.