Chinese Troops Tried To Alter Status Quo, We Thwarted: Rajnath Singh In Lok Sabha

In the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that on 9 December, PLA troops encroached and attempted to change the status quo in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector. This attempt was met with determination by our troops. Our troops bravely prevented the PLA from encroaching on our territory and forced them to return to their post. There was hand-to-hand fighting between Chinese and Indian troops. No soldiers have died in this conflict and treatment is going on for the injured personnel.

This issue has also been raised with China via diplomatic channels. I want to reassure the House that our forces are committed to protecting our borders and ready to thwart any attempt to undermine them, Singh added. 

Earlier, Indian and Chinese troops clashed near the Tawang area of Arunachal Pradesh on 9 December.

Both Indian and Chinese soldiers have been injured. However, there have been no reports of deaths.

According to military sources, there was a clash between the two sides along the disputed section of the Line of Actual Control in the hill state. Yangtse was the actual site of the clash.

According to media reports, Chinese troops suffered serious injuries, however, the number of Chinese troops was more than 300.

Both parties immediately left the area. As a result of the incident, the area's Commander convened a Flag Meeting with his counterpart to discuss the situation in accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquillity, according to the sources.

There have also been fights in the area in the past.

A major clash took place in October 2021 at Yangtse, 35 kilometres northeast of Tawang. 

The Chinese attempt to gain access to the summit of the 17,000-foot peak was foiled and the area is now covered in snow and will remain so until March.

The two armies have clashed physically in June 2020, near Rinchen La in eastern Ladakh where both sides suffered casualties.