MECHUKHA (ARUNACHAL PRADESH): Tapir Samchung, 78, had fallen unconscious after being shot by Chinese soldiers in his left thigh during the 1962 India-China war. In a humane act amid war, the same Chinese soldiers treated him.
Renewed tension between the two Asian nations has brought back Samchung’s memories of the war. A native of Darjeeling village in Mechukha near the Chinese border in Arunachal Pradesh, Samchung said India and China should bury the hatchet and move on.
“I was employed by the Indian Army as a porter. We were advancing towards the enemy when we came under a barrage of shots. Indian soldiers started retreating. I was escaping but a bullet hit my left thigh. I fell unconscious. Hours later when I regained consciousness, I found myself amid a group of caring Chinese soldiers,” said Samchung, a village chief, on the sidelines of the 4th Mechukha Tourism Festival. The three-day annual festival is organised jointly by the Union Ministry of Tourism, Arunachal Pradesh’s Department of Tourism and event partners.
Samchung’s friend and fellow porter, Cheda Naksang, was shot in the chest and died instantly. A group of village chieftains, who had seen the war, said the Chinese had taken total control of Indian territories up to Tato, 60 km downhill from Mechukha. “They were all over Mechukha but didn’t misbehave with us. They told us not to fear as their fight was with the Indian Army. They retreated after 45 days,” said Sangey Khandu Sona, Sang Gang village chief.
Maling Koje, a local BJP leader, said the last incursion by the Chinese Army was last year. “PLA soldiers was spotted on our side. My brother-in-law, who was with them as a porter, rushed to the Chinese and spent time with them. He took photos and was also offered cigarettes. They then went back,” Koje said.
Village chiefs assist the administration in tackling law and order problem and settling minor disputes. “The chiefs are required to inform the Army, intelligence and administration if there is any Chinese activity on our side of the border,” said Dorjee Purba Chukla, chieftain of Mangang village.