Chinese and Indian troops fight with sticks and bricks in a video
Video of what appears to be a previously unreported violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops at their disputed Himalayan border have emerged online, offering a rare window into the long-simmering territorial tensions between the two Asian powers.
The video, according to a serving Indian military officer with knowledge of the clashes on the China-India border, was filmed in the mountainous Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh at the Line of Actual Control – the de facto border between the two countries – on September 28, 2021.
Though it’s not clear who filmed or released the video, it began circulating on Indian social media on Tuesday, just hours after the Indian Defense Ministry confirmed that a brawl had taken place at the border on Friday, in the remote Tawang sector of northeastern India. The first reported incident in nearly two years.
In the video –which cannot independently verify – troops from both countries are seen on mountainous terrain, surrounded by green hills apparently untouched by winter. Though they’re separated by barbed wire, the footage appears to show Indian troops beating the Chinese soldiers with makeshift weapons, including what look like wooden sticks and metal pipes. In several instances, Indian soldiers can be seen throwing bricks or stones.
Many of the Chinese soldiers, gathered on the other side of the wire, also appear to be holding long sticks or batons.
Eventually the barbed wire collapses and the Indian soldiers move forward, prompting the Chinese troops to jump over a short stone wall and leave the area, to cheers from the Indian side.
The Indian military source said transgressions happen frequently due to the two sides’ different perceptions of the border – and the patrols they carry out along the LAC.
Several experts who spoke and agreed the video did not depict a recent clash given the lack of visible snow. However, the video does offer an insight into the ongoing tensions, information about which is typically highly restricted by authorities.
“It’s an illustration of how quickly things can go south if tensions are not reduced between the two sides,” said Sushant Singh, senior fellow at the Center for Policy Research, an Indian think tank.
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