Visuals show it was Chinese soldiers who started pushing around India’s men

A video grab of the August 15 skirmish between Indian and Chinese troops by the Pangong lake in Ladakh shows the incident was a significant showdown, involving fisticuffs and stone-throwing.

Lieutenant-General (Retd) Prakash Khatoch, one of the first to make the video public, told The Hindu that the visuals clearly showed that it was the Chinese who started to push around Indian soldiers and they also started throwing stones. “They started it all; our chaps only responded,” he said.

The video, shot from a smartphone, shows an ugly brawl and captures the frayed nerves along the border at a time when the standoff between the two sides in Doklam has continued for the third month.

Some Army sources, however, insisted that it was not very unusual for the two sides to engage in fisticuffs.

The video begins with a few dozen soldiers from both sides jostling, and then it soon breaks down into kicking, punching and stone-throwing.

Ugly brawl

The video clearly shows at least one of the soldiers kicking down another. A few seconds later another soldier is on the ground, hit by a stone thrown by a rival soldier.

The skirmish started around 6 a.m. on August 15, with the two sides coming face to face by the lake, and lasted until 9 a.m.

On Friday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar confirmed the incident, but did not speak about stone-throwing or the fight. “We feel that such incidents are not in the interests of either side. We should maintain peace and tranquillity,” Mr. Kumar said.

A meeting of the Brigade Commanders of both sides was held in the Chushul sector in Leh on Wednesday, and the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity in the area.

Rawat to visit

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat will undertake a three-day visit to the Ladakh region over the weekend. Army sources said Gen. Rawat will review the security scenario, including the latest incident along the disputed border, during his visit starting Sunday.

Lt. Gen. Katoch said the Modi government’s policy was clear and well articulated. “The government policy is very, very clear now. This is not 1962. A respectable solution is mutually acceptable withdrawal,” he said about the Doklam standoff. “For once the defence establishment and political authorities are firm,” he said. “The ball is in the Chinese court.”