Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 13: Tension erupted in the Chumur sector along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China in Leh district after three inhabitants of a border village ‘inadvertently’ crossed over to Chinese territory in the search of their horses. Interestingly, they remained with the Chinese Army for a week before being handed over to the Indian Army that too on the insistence of the latter. This first of its kind incident has raised several questions, which are required to be thoroughly pondered upon by the intelligence and security agencies in order to ensure that hostile neighbour do not succeed in its hidden nefarious designs.
Reliable sources in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) told EXCELSIOR that earlier this month some horses of inhabitants of border village of Korzok crossed the Line of Actual Control and moved into the territory of the China via Chumur sector, where face-off between Indian security forces and Chinese Army took place a number of times in the past particularly during the current year.
When the inhabitants of Korzok could not trace their horses, three persons volunteered to bring back the cattle and then entered the Chinese territory. However, they did not come back for several days prompting the inhabitants of Korzok to take up the matter with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Army, sources said. The matter also came to the notice of the district administration and elected representatives of the people following which intervention of top brass of the Army headquartered at Leh was sought to bring back the horses as well as three civilians, they added.
Accordingly, the senior officers of the Indian Army contacted their Chinese counterparts and vociferously demanded return of civilians as well as cattle heads. Finally, the Chinese Army handed over three civilians to the Indian Army during a flag meeting held at Chushul, which is also situated in Nyoma block, on December 11. However, they refused to return the houses, sources said.
After repeated insistence from the Indian Army, Chinese troops agreed to return the horses and accordingly another flag meeting was held on December 12, sources said, adding “during the second meeting face-off took place between Indian and Chinese Army as the latter was reluctant to return the horses by entering deep inside our territory. However, they could not succeed in their design as their move was vehemently opposed by the Indian Army”.
Notwithstanding return of horses and civilians face-off between Indian and Chinese Army continued in Chumur sector, sources informed.
They said that three persons, who had ‘inadvertently’ entered the Chinese territory were first handed over to ITBP and then to the Leh Police for sustained questioning as they remained in the custody of the Chinese Army for a week before being handed over to the Indian Army.
“It is imperative to ascertain as to whom they interacted with during their stay in Chinese territory and why they were handed over to Indian Army at a spot which is about 200 kilometers away the area from where they crossed the LAC”, sources said, adding “this is for the first time that such an incident took place on the border as such it has to be enquired into from all aspects so that hidden nefarious designs of the neighbouring country’s Army could be foiled well in time”.
In response to a question, sources said, “based on the outcome of the interrogation the security as well as intelligence agencies would have to change their strategies in order to maintain sanctity of the perceived line between two countries”.
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