Revealed: What led to India-China border skirmish in Arunachal's Tawang? Did PLA soldiers cross over to Indian side?

Soldiers of the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) clashed with wach other along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9. The face-off resulted in "minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides" after the PLA troops attempted to enter the LAC. 

The skirmish, first ever since the Galwan Valley clash in May 2020, comes barely a month after an exchange of greetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modiu and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 Summit in Bali. 

The clash near Yangtse along the LAC in the sensitive sector took place last Friday amid the over 30-month border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh.

"On December 9, PLA troops contacted the LAC in Tawang Sector which was contested by own (Indian) troops in a firm and resolute manner. This face-off led to minor injuries to few personnel from both sides," the Army said in a statement.

"Both sides immediately disengaged from the area. As a follow up of the incident, own (Indian) commander in the area held a flag meeting with his counterpart to discuss the issue in accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquillity," it said.

The Army statement did not mention the number of troops involved in the face-off and those injured in the incident.

However, a source indicated that there were more than 200 Chinese soldiers involved and they were carrying spiked clubs and sticks, and injuries on the Chinese side could be higher. But there was no official word on the same.

The Army said there are areas of "differing perception" along the LAC in the Tawang sector. "In certain areas along the LAC in the Tawang Sector in Arunachal Pradesh there are areas of differing perception, wherein both sides patrol the area up to their claim lines. This has been the trend since 2006," the Army said. 

The Indian Army quoted sources as saying that the incident could be a design by the PLA to dampen the celebrations of the 51st anniversary of India’s victory over Pakistan in 1971. In October last year, a clash had broken out between Indian and Chinese troops at a mountain pass between Bum-La and Yangtse in the Tawang sector when the PLA soldiers tried to cross over to the Indian side and came face to face with an Indian patrolling unit. 

Notably, Tawang was the key theatre of the 1962 war. It was here the Dalai Lama had first taken shelter after he escaped from Tibet in 1959. 

A similar transgression had taken place in June 2016 when around 250 PLA soldiers had transgressed into the area but no clashes were reported then. A military officer who has served in the area told The Indian Express that there was no predicting when the PLA would carry out such operations as “the Chinese perpetually control the escalatory ladder in that area” and they do so “at a place of their choosing”.