Border land mines

 China’s intrusion deep inside Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh, where a village was reportedly constructed during 2019-20 speaks volumes about the state of vigil by Indian agencies. In a report by NDTV, though the area is Indian territory, according to official government maps, it has been in effective Chinese control since 1959. The latest image that establishes the village in question is dated November 1, 2020. The image dated a little more than a year before that – August 26, 2019 – does not show any construction activity. So, the village was set up in the last year. Even if the particular area has been occupied by China since 1959, it was only recently that the village was constructed. Earlier only a Chinese military post existed, but this time a full-fledged village that can house thousands has been built. The village, located on the banks of the River Tsari Chu, lies in the Upper Subansiri district, an area which has been long disputed by India and China and has been marked by armed conflict. If the village came up during 2020, then it means that the government of India and its security agencies remained in the dark. The tragic incident in June last year, when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with the PLA in the Galwan Valley, confirmed that China is on a land grab mode, even if it means sparking another war. Even when the ruling BJP’s own MP from Arunachal Pradesh, Tapir Gao, had warned the Lok Sabha of Chinese incursions in his state, referring specifically to the Upper Subansiri district, India continued to believe that China will desist from further adventure. In an interview to a TV channel, Tapir Gao said the construction included a new double-lane road some 60 -70 kms inside the state’s upper Subansiri district along the path of the river known locally as the Lensi that flows in the direction of the Subansiri river. China continues to intrude into Indian territory over the past several decades. Since India’s first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and successive prime ministers, China has followed a double-edged policy of talking friendship with one hand and land grab with the other hand. There are several disputed areas along the Indo-China border mainly because the communist giant refuses to accept the McMohan Line, the boundary demarcation between the two neighbours. China has conceptualised the Line of Actual Control(LAC) to mean that it recognises territories it held after the 1962 war. India maintains that the LAC to be 3,488 km long, while the Chinese consider it to be only around 2,000 km. It is divided into three sectors: the eastern sector which spans Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the middle sector in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and the western sector in Ladakh. China has made it amply clear that it will not give up its claims over disputed territories within India. Even in 2009, media reports claimed that Chinese forces occupied Indian territory and constructed a highway. In order to defend and protect its borders, India has to respond effectively. China has territorial ambitions of other nations. India should respond effectively and not let China mistake its peaceful approach as weakness since the communist giant firmly believes that might is right.