“You will be out for the next five days,” the Indian Army Major said in a matter of fact tone. The group of 12 men he was addressing sat on a Mountain ridge. It had been snowing since morning. The brown rocky sliver of land was slowly turning white. “Your job will be maintain the sanctity of the Line of Actual Control, watch out for movement of Chinese troops, take note of their new locations and report back,” was his brief.
No matter how bad the weather is, long-range Foot Patrols of the Indian Army are regular along the nearly 900 km McMohan line – drawn by the then British Foreign Secretary Henry McMohan in 1914 to demarcate the border – that is now the de-facto border between Indian and China.
On mountain peaks over 14000 feet high, a literal cat and mouse game plays out every day. “We have to ensure that the Chinese not only know we present but that we constantly watch them,” a senior military commander told media.
In the past, China has claimed not only Tawang but the entire Arunachal Pradesh. Therefore, as a counter, India tries to dominate every ridge and mountain pass through foot patrols and border posts. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army instead is positioned deep inside Chinese territory.
“Our aim is to meet Chinese patrols whenever they cross what we consider our territory. This gives a clear message that we are serious about our claims,” the commander said.
On average, every foot patrol covers over at least 25 km of mountainous territory often climbing over several peaks. For the past few years, Indian soldiers are also being trained to speak Chinese dialects. “It is easier to tell them that they have crossed over to our territory,” an official said.
India and China signed the Border Defence Cooperation (BDCA) in 2013 – an agreement to reduce misunderstandings and improve communications between the two nuclear-armed states along their disputed border. Both sides now meet regularly. “The agreement has helped us solve local issues,” Brigadier Kushwaha adds.
Back in Tezpur, the 4 Corps Headquarters – which protects Tawang and the western Arunachal Pradesh – the assessment is that as India bridges the infrastructure, military and economic gap – the Chinese will become more aggressive.
source from India defence News.
