Yangtse faceoff | No fatalities or serious casualties on Indian side

Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops tried to transgress the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Yangtse area of Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh and “unilaterally” change the status quo, which was contested by Indian troops in a “firm and resolute” manner and compelled them to return, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed the Parliament on Tuesday while stating that there were “no fatalities or serious casualties” on the Indian side.

Making a statement on the incident of December 09, Mr. Singh said, “The ensuing face off led to a physical scuffle in which the Indian Army bravely prevented the PLA from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts. The scuffle led to injuries to few personnel on both sides.” 

He added: “I wish to share with the House that there are no fatalities or serious casualties on our side.”

The Defence Minister further said that due to timely intervention of Indian military commanders, “PLA soldiers went back to their positions”. As a follow-up to the incident, the local commander in the area held a flag meeting with his counterpart on December 11 to discuss the issues in accordance with established mechanisms, said in the statement first made in the Lok Sabha and then in the Rajya Sabha. 

High-level meeting

Earlier in the day, Mr. Singh chaired a high-level meeting, during which he was briefed by the Services on the incident as well as the overall situation along the LAC, according to defence sources.

In a short statement on the faceoff on Monday evening, the Army while noting that there are areas of differing perception in the area said that both sides immediately disengaged from the area after the scuffle. Yangtse has been an area of friction and seen faceoffs in the past including a major one around this time last year.