Ladakhi shepherds assert grazing rights to Chinese soldiers at LAC in viral video
In the video, shepherds grazing sheep along the north bank of Pangong Tso Lake, are seen arguing with the Chinese soldiers and telling them that they were on the Indian side of the LAC and had grazing rights there
A video of a group of Ladakhi shepherds purportedly standing up to Chinese soldiers who asked them not to graze their sheep near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), has gone viral on social media, eliciting positive response and national pride.
In the video, shepherds grazing sheep along the north bank of Pangong Tso Lake, are seen arguing with the Chinese soldiers and telling them that they were on the Indian side of the LAC and had grazing rights there.
Notably, shepherds, mostly nomads, in the eastern part of Ladakh had stopped grazing their cattle near the Indo-China border following the 2020 Galwan clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers.
Their latest assertion on grazing rights on Indian territory, is the first resistance shown to Chinese soldiers since the Galwan clash.
Sharing the news on X, Chushul councillor Konchok Stanzin said the shepherds were able to assert themselves because of the backing provided by the Fire and Fury corps of the Indian Army deployed in the border region.
“It is heartening to see the positive impact made by @firefurycorps_IA in Border areas of Eastern Ladakh in facilitating the graziers & nomads to assert their rights in traditional grazing grounds along the north bank of Pangong. I would like to thank #IndianArmy for such strong civil-military relations & looking after the interests of the border area population. Jai Hind..Jai Bharat,” he posted.
In another post, he shared a video of an Instagram post which showed Chinese troops stopping nomads from grazing near the LAC.
“See how our local people are showing their bravery in front of the PLA claiming that the area they are stopping is our nomad's 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," the post read.
The video shows a group of shepherds refusing to leave the place despite being told by the Chinese Army to do so. There are three Chinese armoured vehicles on the spot but the Chinese soldiers are not armed. The incident reportedly occurred earlier this month.
The India-China border dispute witnessed a massive escalation when a major clash broke out between both the armies stationed along the border in Galwan Valley in 2020. The clash led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and around four from China’s army.