In Arunachal, Amit Shah visits 1962 war memorial in never-again message to China

Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday paid tribute to the brave heroes of the 1962 War against China at the Walong War Memorial in Arunachal Pradesh.

“The tales of their supreme sacrifice for the motherland will forever resound in India’s history and remain inspiring generations to come, to live a life dedicated to the nation,” tweeted Shah.

Walong is situated at an altitude of 1094 meters above mean sea level and is 58 km away from Hawai, the nearest town. Walong Circle HQ holds historical significance as it witnessed the unparalleled courage of Indian soldiers against the invasion of Chinese forces in 1962.

The spectacular natural beauty of the place and the War Memorial at Walong, which means ‘a place of Bamboo groves’ in Mishmi dialect, are landmarks of stature in Namti Valley, also known as Namti Maidan, where the fierce battle was fought.

On 16th November 1962, in the face of a never-ending barrage of Chinese artillery, and in spite of getting vastly outnumbered by over 10 to 1, soldiers of the Kumaon Regiment displayed their indomitable spirit fighting to the last man and last round in the true spirit and ethos of the Indian Army.

More than 600 Chinese soldiers were reportedly killed in the battle with a total of four Vir Chakras and one Mention in Dispatches awarded to the 6 Kumaon unit for their bravery against insurmountable odds.

Shah’s visit to the Walong War Memorial on Tuesday not only revived memories of the supreme sacrifice made by the Indian soldiers but also sent yet another strong message to China right on its doorstep, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The minister made it clear on Monday that, while India wants peace with everyone, it will not let anyone encroach on even an inch of its land.

“Today, we say with pride that gone are the days when anybody could encroach on India’s land. Today, we can proudly say that no one can encroach even a tip of a pin’s worth of our land because the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Indian Army are present at our borders,” Shah said while launching the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ in the border village of Kibithoo.

He then inspected an ITBP border outpost in Arunachal Pradesh and took stock of the force’s preparedness.

It was only last week that India reminded China once again that inventing names to some places in Arunachal Pradesh will not change the reality as the northeastern border state has always been, and will always be an integral part of the country.

This was in response to the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs, responsible for social administrative affairs under the State Council, standardizing “some geographical names in southern Tibet” with all 11 places falling in Arunachal Pradesh.

Not stopping at that, Beijing on Monday objected to Indian Home Minister’s visit to the border area in Arunachal with the remarks being rightfully slammed by New Delhi.

“We completely reject the comments made by the Chinese Official Spokesperson. Indian leaders routinely travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state of India. Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. Objecting to such visits does not stand to reason and will not change the above reality,” said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday.

Earlier, Shah also addressed BJP karyakartas at the foundation stone laying ceremony for the BJP Dibrugarh office.

On Monday, Shah also laid a wreath at ‘Kibithoo Remembrance Hut’, paying tribute to India’s valorous martyrs of the 1962 war.

“For us, they never truly departed. Rather they will continue to live in our hearts for eternity, as a symbol of courage and as an echo of our pride,” said the Home Minister.

He also launched 9 mini-micro hydroelectric projects along with a plethora of schemes initiated by ITBP at Kibithoo.

Union Home Minister then joined the soldiers in their Badakhana, a ritual in which soldiers of all ranks dine together as a mark of brotherhood.

“The commitment of the ITBP soldiers to protect the borders of the nation in one of the toughest terrains in the world is truly inspiring,” he tweeted.

Also Read: Amit Shah visits Arunachal with a ‘don’t mess with us’ message for China