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regular-article-logo Wednesday, 22 May 2024

Indian Army goes into damage-control mode, Ladakhi graziers earn praise for standing up to Chinese PLA

A video had surfaced on internet that purportedly showed Chinese soldiers forcing Ladakhi nomads out of grazing area despite their stiff resistance

Muzaffar Raina Srinagar Published 01.02.24, 05:38 AM
Video grab of a Ladakhi herder confronting Chinese soldiers

Video grab of a Ladakhi herder confronting Chinese soldiers File picture

The Indian Army seemed to have gone into damage-control mode over a video that purportedly showed Chinese soldiers forcing Ladakhi nomads out of a grazing area despite their stiff resistance.

The Ladakhi graziers are earning praise for apparently standing up to the Chinese.

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The video has elicited no official response from the army. But on Tuesday night, Ladakh-based Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army re-posted complimentary posts by Konchok Stanzin, councillor of Ladakh’s Chushul, the border area.

Stanzin was among the first on Tuesday to post the video of the nomads confronting the Chinese. Indian Army soldiers are not seen in the video.

“It is heartening to see the positive impact made by @firefurycorps_IA in Border areas of Eastern Ladakh in facilitating the graziers & nomads to assert their rights in traditional grazing grounds along the north bank of Pangong,” Stanzin said in a post on X, hours after sharing the nomads' video.

“I would like to thank #IndianArmy for such strong civil-military relations & looking after the interests of the border area population.”

Fire and Fury Corps re-posted it.

The councillor also shared the video of a shepherd, who thanked the Indian Army for supporting them. “We are getting all the help from the Indian Army. Thank you Indian Army. Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” he was seen saying this in the video.

In another post, around the same time, Stanzin thanked the army’s “Ultimate Force and Chushul Warriors” on behalf of the parents “from #Chushul, #Tsaga, and #Tangtse of Ladakh” for organising a national integration tour for local children.

“Our children returned today filled with joy and a strong sense of national pride. We are extremely thankful to the Indian Army for such a wonderful initiative. We sincerely hope that there will be more such adventures and investments in the future for the benefit of our upcoming generations. Once again, thank you to the Indian Army for their efforts. @PMOIndia,” Stanzin wrote.

The army shared this post as well.

Nyoma councillor Ishey Spalzang said the army was always ready to help them if such an incident recurred. “They told us, including the grazers, that we should call them whenever such an incident happens and that they are always ready to help,” Spalzang told The Telegraph. “Nothing new has happened there (after the January 2 incident). It is normal. The grazers have already moved to other places.”

On Tuesday, Spalzang told this newspaper that the place seen in the video was on the Indian side, although the Chinese claim it as their own.

The Congress on Wednesday mounted an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking whether he will give a clean chit to China this time as well.

The Congress regretted that the Chinese were preventing the nomads from grazing their sheep. The party asked the government to send a stern message to China.

“Will prime minister give a clean-chit to China this time as well and say no nobody has intruded,” the party asked in Hindi on X.

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