Chinese bid to stop locals from grazing thwarted
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 30: Putting up a brave face with the backing of the Indian Army, local Nomads forced the troops of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China to retreat when the latter tried to stop them from grazing their cattle at village Kakjung located near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.
The incident took place few days back and was shot on the camera by the locals in which the nomads also pelted stones at the approaching PLA soldiers who reached the area along with three armoured vehicles and tried to stop them from grazing.
Chushul Councilor Konchok Stanzin, who has been always in forefront boosting morale of the locals, told the Excelsior on telephone that though the area where the incident took place is part of another constituency, it was heartening for him to see the positive impact made by Leh-based 14 Corps, also known as Fire and Fury Corps, in border areas of Eastern Ladakh in facilitating the grazers and nomads to assert their rights in traditional grazing grounds along the north bank of Pangong.
“I would like to thank the Indian Army for such strong civil-military relations and looking after interests of the border area population,” Konchak said.
He said the PLA troops tried to stop the local nomads in our area from grazing but they strongly resisted prompting the Chinese army to retreat. The issue has now been resolved and the nomads continue to graze their cattle there, he added.
Locals were all praise for the Indian Army for their support in grazing their cattle in forward areas.
A nearly seven minutes video shot by the locals showed the PLA troops with three armoured vehicles trying to stop nomads from grazing their cattle in Kakjung area situated close to the LAC in Eastern Ladakh but faced strong resistance from the locals.
Some of the locals even pelted stones on approaching PLA troops. Facing strong resistance, the Chinese army personnel ultimately retreated much to the rejoice of locals who continued to graze their cattle in the area. Locals were all praise for the Indian Army for facilitating them to graze their cattle in forward areas.
Locals said that the clash took place in Kakjung area of Nyoma village in Chushul Valley of Ladakh, which borders the Tibet region controlled by China.
A group of local herders were intercepted at Patrolling Point 35, 36 and 37 in Kakjung village of Nyoma along the border with China by at least a dozen visibly unarmed soldiers of People’s Liberation Army (PLA), who were also accompanied by three armoured vehicles, one of them being Dongfeng Mengshi light armoured vehicle equipped with remote-controlled weapon system (through unarmed).
A video clip of the clash, shows a herder using a rope as a sling to pelt stones at the incoming PLA vehicles, while the PLA soldiers and other herders purportedly ask him to calm down.
The herders can be seen shouting at the PLA soldiers in Tibetan language, as the siren of one of the PLA armoured vehicles blares in the background.
He continued: “This is our ancestral land. We graze our livestock here.”
The video shows the PLA soldiers and the herders getting into a heated argument as they came face to face.
A PLA soldier can also be seen blocking the camera lens of the herder, who is shooting the incident, even as his fellow soldiers around him continue to film the incident while waving at the herders to move out of the area. Then, a visibly-agitated herder, who breaks from the scene, pulls out a sling from beneath his coat, puts a stone in it and swings it at the incoming armoured vehicle, which visibly escaped the hit.
There was no official statement from the Army on the incident. However, a Defence PRO shared the tweet of Councilor Konchok Stanzin with the media persons.
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