China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) tried to “unilaterally change the status quo by transgressing” on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh suggested, adding, however, that there were no deaths on "our side."
Speaking before parliament on Tuesday, the minister said the Indian side had “compelled them (the PLA) to return to their posts.”
“The scuffle led to injuries to a few personnel on both sides. I wish to share with this House that there are no fatalities or serious casualties on our side,” Singh said.
Following the incident, the local commander of the area held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on December 11 to discuss the recent developments. In particular, the Indian side asked Beijing to avoid such incidents in the future to maintain peace and tranquility along the border, the defense minister told lawmakers.
New Delhi has raised the issue diplomatically with China as well.
Defense sources said that over 300 PLA troops armed with crude weapons attempted to dismantle an Indian post in Yangtse, an area which witnessed a similar clash in October 2021. The skirmish started with stone-pelting, which later descended into hand-to-hand combat.
The Indian Army said that in certain areas along the LAC in the Tawang Sector, there are areas of differing perception wherein both sides patrol the area up to their claim line, as has been the practice since 2006.
Administered by India, Arunachal Pradesh is shown on Chinese maps as "Zangnan" or "South Tibet." Since 2019, the Indian Army and the Arunachal Pradesh state government have been carrying out massive infrastructure work and boosting military deployment in the Tawang region.
The border dispute between the two Asian giants has a complex past, in part, due to the UK.
In 1913, while extending its rule in tribal belts in the northeastern part of India, then-Foreign Secretary Henry McMahon famously drew a line in thick red ink across a small-scale map border between India and Tibet at the Simla conference. It later came to be known as the McMahon line, which is recognized by India as its current border with China. Beijing has not accepted it.