'PLA troops sent back, matter raised with China': Rajnath Singh

04:10 PM Dec 13, 2022 IST | greditor

In the Lok Sabha, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh presented the stand of the government on the clash between the soldiers of China and India in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.

Rajnath Singh said, “On December 9, 2022, Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo by encroaching on the Line of Actual Control in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector. Our army faced this effort of China with determination. There was a scuffle in this tussle. The Indian Army bravely prevented Chinese soldiers from encroaching on our territory and forced them to return to their posts. Some soldiers from both sides were injured in this skirmish.

The Defense Minister said, “I want to tell this House that none of our soldiers has died, nor has anyone been seriously injured. The Chinese side denied such action and asked to maintain peace on the border. This issue has also been raised with the Chinese side at the diplomatic level’.

Rajnath Singh further added ‘Due to the timely intervention of the Indian Army Commanders, the Chinese soldiers went back to their territory. After this incident, the local commander of the area held a flag meeting with his Chinese counterparts on 11 December 2022 under the established arrangement and discussed the incident’.

Singh said, “I want to assure this House that our forces are fully committed to safeguarding our sovereign integrity and are always ready to stop any attempt against it. I am sure that this House will unanimously support the valour and courage of our forces’.

After the statement of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in the Lok Sabha, the opposition staged a walkout from the House.

The opposition is asking the question that the incident happened on December 9, so why did the government remain silent for three days?

After India, China also issued a statement regarding the skirmish between Chinese and Indian soldiers on December 9 in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh. There was a scuffle between the soldiers of the two countries on December 9.

According to the news agency AFP, China has said that the situation on the border with India is stable. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that talks are going on with India at the military and diplomatic levels.