Jubilee Post News & Views
Om Dutt
India lost at least 20 of its soldiers in the Galwan Valley fight with Chinese army and this has spread ire among the India citizens and their anger is high. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, ‘Unity is top priority.
No one should be in any doubt. India wants peace but when provoked, it is capable of giving a fitting reply, be it any situation’
Beijing gave very little information on the violence but stated severely injured are 45 in number. After 1975 this was first severe fight and after 1967 this was the most serious one hence the people on both side of the border must be having a galvanizing impact.
People who were already furious with the nationalist slogans. This bloody struggle may result in to trouble for the nuclear bearing nations.
How struggle took place on the Indo-China border
The area where the fight took place between soldiers is a peaceful location, it is on height and has very few residents. Is located on the Tibet border and near Ladakh and is a Buddhist place with tourist attraction.
According to the sources the incident took place when Indian soldiers had to face Chinese army suddenly. Indian side believed the People Liberation Army troops had retreated after the June 6 agreement. Both sides entered in to scuffle and suddenly an Indian Commanding Officer was pushed back, and he fell from the top of a hill and died.
The information was passed on and then more soldiers came from an out-post which was 4 kilometres away. About 600 army men fought for over 6-hours with iron rods, bricks and other such weapons and it turned in to a bloody fight.
The Indian army said it lost three men and 17 were injured while Beijing refused to tell any causalities. The editor in chief of the Global Times said Chinese side has been injured but the People Liberation Army is not willing to hurt sentiments of Chinese people by revealing the numbers.
Why is it now?
Tension was brewing since April when China brought artillery vehicles along with thousands of army men along the LAC and then in to the controversial area.
Analysts say that Chinese government that has been engaged in infrastructure development in the region is worried about India stopping its (Chinese) defense establishment. Incidents such as raising slogans, in the controversial area pelting stone, showing fist had been reported but no causalities were reported.
The doubts
Indian media is asking whether it was a intelligence failure that led to such a situation where Indian soldiers fought with the Chinese. Editor of India Today Shiv Arun said, should have heads been raised there or mere warning?
These are areas where decision has to be taken for once and all as it is a life and death situation. You should be active.
He said, “I don’t find a reason to believe in the story about Indian army slipping like this. A camp that has earlier only uprooted by China and the way was also made.”
Its testing time for India
For the prime minister it is the latest trouble as the government is already facing criticism for its handling of coronavirus pandemic. At least 354000 people have been infected and about 12000 have died of coronavirus.
India is struggling with economic crisis that had started earlier but due to coronavirus it became worse. And now with border issues with China, Nepal and Pakistan has made things even worse.
It can not be rules out that life has been hit hard. And this has made India situation bad.
The need is to use patience. India and China are two most populous nations on the earth. Both are nuclear nations. Vipin Narang, a security analyst said that domestic politics, peoples’ sentiments, particularly the nationalist thoughts, will motivate for taking revenge of the martyrs and move ahead. For India it will be difficult to de-escalate with an open media.
António Guterres the Secretary-General of the United Nations has asked both the nations to keep high level of patience.
Why the tussle with China
This is clear that where is the LAC and how both ends have to behave and if they stick to it the issues wont come up. But if they don’t the tussles will be coming up.
Tanvi Madan senior fellow in the Project on International Order and Strategy in the Foreign Policy program, and director of The India Project at the Brookings Institution in Washington says it must not have been only on the land but in China it must be a decision at a high official rank.
After the 1962 war such tussle have a long history. After that tussle an actual LAC (line of actual control) was declared but with recent incidents it seems there is no following LAC.
China has build a road connecting Tibet and Shenyang which is 219 kilometres long and goes very near to the LAC and India believes this is Indian territory.
On the other hand the Galwan Valley is significant though there had been no disputes here but China is provoking. The CDBO airway is significant.
What both countries want
Both the countries have demanded the area by placing heavy army deployment. Both have build road, telecom services, air strips, police stations and other infrastructure facilities. Soldiers patrol on the controversial area. China claims 90000 sq kilometre in the east Himalayas and 38000 sq kilometres in the west Himalayas and is controversial.
