Monday Musing
[ Bengia Ajum ]
Ever since the Nah Welfare Society (NWS) wrote a letter to the deputy commissioner of Upper Subansiri district, alleging that the Chinese PLA was capturing Indian territory in the Taksing area of the district, the issue has been growing with each passing day.
The Government of India has dismissed the claim and clarified that no such intrusion has taken place. Here in the state, Home Minister Mama Natung also made a similar statement and refused the allegations of Chinese intrusion.
The denial by the Government of India and Home Minister Mama Natung has further infuriated people living in areas such as Taksing and Limeking. Many citizens have taken to social media to support the NWS claim and allege that the Chinese PLA is slowly advancing towards Taksing circle headquarters. There is growing restlessness among citizens in Taksing and Limeking, with people calling for urgent attention to the issue.
Perhaps sensing the mood of the people, Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday said that his government would verify reports of alleged Chinese intrusion in Taksing with the Indian Army and local residents before drawing any conclusion. He further said that he does not believe such reports without factual confirmation. The statement is significant, considering that he did not outright reject the claim of intrusion. There is also a report that CM Khandu will meet members of the NWS on 11 August to discuss the issue.
The NWS had claimed that areas such as Oying (2445) in the Asaphila area, Paniar (Chujarta area), Marpan (Marnafe), Portrang (Lake), and Tingdingtang (TG) - all located close to Taksing - had been captured by the PLA, where it had also allegedly set up a military camp.
In recent days, many residents of Taksing have alleged that the PLA has entered Indian territory at Pukar La (CP 5). Unverified videos and pictures of an alleged standoff between soldiers of the two countries, reportedly from Pukar La, have been circulating on social media. This time, there has been no statement from the Army in this regard. Locals in Taksing have alleged that they are unable to access areas such as Pukar La due to the presence of the PLA.
Amid all this, India on Friday formally identified 27 places and geographical features in the state by their standard names on the official Indian map. The Survey of India has officially marked 27 locations from Arunachal Pradesh on the map of India, including places such as Longju, Maja, Dzo La, Riza La, Pukar La and Bisa village.
The locals of Taksing and Limeking have consistently claimed that the Chinese PLA is capturing land belonging to India. These people have lived in the region for centuries and know the area much better than people sitting in Delhi. The government is hurting their emotions and sentiments by outright rejecting the claims of incursion.
Nobody wants a confrontation with China, but everyone wants clarity regarding the allegations of Chinese intrusion. Instead of reaching out to the people and trying to provide assurance, the Government of India is allegedly trying to suppress voices by censoring reports related to the latest claims of Chinese intrusion in Upper Subansiri.
Many media houses and individual social media users have complained that reports or opinions linked to the alleged Chinese intrusion in Taksing are being taken down from social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
Instead of resorting to such censorship, citizens should be allowed to raise their concerns and bring attention to allegations of Chinese activities inside the territory of a sovereign nation. Greater transparency and clear communication from the government would help address the growing anxiety among people living in the border areas.
