In a bid to celebrate the unwavering spirit of Chhatrapati Shivaji's statue in Eastern Ladakh the local Indian Army Unit inaugurated a statue of the former ruler. But, it has become a reason for debate with some praising the step, while others, veterans and locals, questioning its relevance.
The Indian Army's Leh based Fire and Fury Corps posted on its X social media account "A majestic statue of Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was inaugurated on the banks of Pangong Tso at an altitude of 14,300 feet."
"The towering symbol of valour, vision and unwavering justice was inaugurated by Lt Gen Hitesh Bhalla, , GOC Fire and Fury Corps and Colonel of The Maratha Light Infantry. The event celebrates the unwavering spirit of the Indian ruler, whose legacy remains a source of inspiration for generations.", added the Corps.
Expressing his disapproval for the Army's step, Chushul Councillor Konchok Stanzin raised his concern in a tweet saying, "As a local resident, I must voice my concerns about the Shivaji statue at Pangong. It was erected without local input and I question its relevance to our unique environment and wildlife. Let's prioritise projects that truly reflect and respect our community and nature,"
The location of the statue, Pangong Tso Lake, holds significance as it was the site of scuffle between the Indian Army Soldiers and the troops of the Chinese PLA at the Finger 4 on the North Bank in May 2020 was the reason that till date tensions between India and China along the Line of Actual Control prevails.
This newspaper broke the story, and till date, more than 100,000 soldiers are sitting astride the LAC. Though, with time, there has been disengagement at all the standoff points, and patrolling has begun at Depsang and Demchok. The talks to achieve status quo ante at the other positions is still on.
As per the sources in the Army, "Unveiling of Chatrapati Shivaji's statue on the banks of Pangong Tso Lake in Eastern Ladakh was carried out by a Rashtriya Rifles Unit comprising the troops of Maratha Regiment."
The Unit added, "The statue raised within its area of responsibility with the resources voluntarily collected from the serving and retired personnel."
Shivaji Maharaj founded the Maratha Empire and is remembered for his courage, policies and adeptness at battle prowess. Questioning the relevance and positioning of his statue, some veterans opined installation of the status of General Zorawar Singh, the famed Military General of Dogra King Gulab Singh who annexed Ladakh. He is remembered for his prowess in mountain warfare. He even annexed areas of Tibet in his mountain campaigns.
Sajjad Kargili, a former Member of Parliament Contestant from Ladakh (2019) emphasised to be careful in such environmentally sensitive areas. In his X post he said, "There is no cultural or historical relevance of Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in #Ladakh. While we respect his legacy, imposing such cultural symbols here is misplaced. We would appreciate the installation of statues honoring local historical figures like Khree Sultan Cho or Ali Sher Khan Anchen and Seenge Namgyal." He added, "However, even these should not be placed in environmentally sensitive areas like Pangong, which require careful preservation."
Maj Gen BS Dhanoa and Col Sanjay Pande also questioned the move. "There are the statutes (or laws) of war, but of late our armed forces are studying the "statues of war"...," Maj Gen Birender Dhanoa (Retd) said on 'X'.
Col Sanjay Pande (Retd) proposed Zorawar Singh to be more deserving with his achievements in the region, leading from Pangong Tso to Khurnak Fort, establishing posts right upto Mansarovar. "He died fighting in Tibet. Leh Fort is called Zorawar Fort. Why is Shivaji's Statue there? I am Maharashtrian from a pure Dogra unit, the first unit of Maharaja Gulab Singh. Why not another Shivaji statue in Lal Chowk Srinagar? Or in Dras? Or in Kargil? Zorawar Singh fought wars 180 years back, weather was as found today. He deserves to be there."
Brigadier Hardeep Singh Sohi (Retd), said in X message, the step was to boost the morale of the troops as "In infantry units where the hand to hand combat chances are more, Heroes associated with the Units are given a high pedestal by Cdrs (Commanders) to boost morale of troops. Statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji by a Maratha unit on banks of PangongTso lake is a step in that direction."