As many as 300 heavily prepared Chinese Army (PLA) soldiers were sent to the LAC or Line of Actual Control in Tawang Sector of Arunachal Pradesh during the clash with Indian Army troops on December 9, but they did not expect the Indian side also to be well prepared, news agency ANI reported quoting sources.
The Indian troops deployed in the area of face-off in Tawang sector gave a befitting response to the Chinese troops and the number of Chinese soldiers injured in the clash is more than the Indian soldiers, the ANI report added.
Here’s what we know about India-China troops clash in Arunachal LAC so far:
1. Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the northeast state of Arunachal Pradesh last week, according to Indian officials familiar with the matter, the first such encounter between the neighbours since 2020, reported Bloomberg.
2. The incident took place on December 9 and led to minor injuries on both sides. Both sides have since disengaged from the area, sources told ANI said, adding military commanders have met to discuss the matter.
3. At least 6 soldiers injured in the clash in Tawang sector were brought to Guwahati for treatment, news agency PTI reported.
4. They said PLA troops contacted the LAC in Tawang Sector of Arunachal Pradesh which was contested by Indian troops “in a firm and resolute manner”.
5. The sources said 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.
6. Indian and Chinese troops had in June 2020 entered into a hand-to-hand combat in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, abutting the Chinese-held Tibetan plateau.
7. The incident resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers were killed, while China suffered an undisclosed number of casualties.
8. India and China share an un-demarcated 3,800 km frontier, where their troops previously adhered to long-standing protocols to avoid the use of 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 in a disputed stretch in Nakula area of North Sikkim.
10. In 2017, troops of India and China were engaged in a 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction area which even triggered fears of a war between the two neighbours.