NEW DELHI: A group of shepherds in Ladakh defied Chinese troops who tried to stop them from grazing their sheep close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. The incident was highlighted by Chushul councilor Konchok Stanzin on social media.
The shepherds had been traditionally grazing their animals in the area before the 2020 Galwan clash.
The LAC is an undemarcated de facto border between India and China. Since the standoff, both sides have held multiple meetings at the military and diplomatic levels to resolve the issue.
Chushul councillor Konchok Stanzin, in a post on X, lauded the shepherds’ resistance against the PLA troops and praised the Indian army for supporting them. "It is heartening to see the positive impact made by @firefurycorps_IA in Border areas of Eastern Ladakh in facilitating the graziers and nomads to assert their rights in traditional grazing grounds along the north bank of Pangong," he said, and added, "I would like to thank #IndianArmy for such strong civil-military relations & looking after the interests of the border area population."
Stanzin also shared a link to the Instagram video of the incident, which took place earlier this month.
"See how our local people are showing their bravery in front of the PLA claiming that the area they are stopping is our nomads' grazing land. PLA stopping our nomads from grazing in our territory. Seems it is never a never-ending process due to different lines of perceptions. But I salute our nomads, who always stand to protect our land and stand as the second guardian force of the nation," he wrote.
In the video, there are at least three Chinese armoured vehicles and several soldiers are visible on the spot. The vehicles can be heard blaring an alarm. But the shepherds are seen arguing with the PLA troops and standing their ground insisting that they are grazing on Indian territory. Further, as the altercation escalates, some shepherds appear to pick up stones.
There are no visuals of any violence breaking out. The Chinese soldiers seen in the video were also not armed.
As per the Chushul councillor, the shepherds could act bravely against the PLA troops because of the support of the Indian forces. "No doubt that our forces are always with civilians resolving the grazing issues with the PLA, it's all because of their support that our nomads could bravely face the PLA," he said.
The situation along the LAC remains "stable but sensitive", Army Chief General Manoj Pande had said recently. "In the last one year or thereabouts, we haven't had any more friction areas in this. In terms of our efforts at resolution, our talks and dialogue both at the military level as well as the diplomatic level continue with the adversary," General Pande said.
