Ladakh LG: Not one square inch of our land is under Chinese occupation

Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Brig (retd) BD Mishra, on Monday asserted that not an inch of the Indian land was under Chinese occupation in Ladakh or elsewhere. While asserting that the Indian troops were fully prepared for any eventuality, Brig Mishra said that the Chinese would get a bloody nose in case the balloon went up on the Line of Actual Control.

Speaking to media persons at the inaugural of the three-day-long North Tech Symposium at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Jammu, Brig Mishra clarified that not a single inch of the Indian land was under China’s occupation.

Asked to comment on the senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claim that “a large portion of the Indian land in Ladakh” had been occupied by China, Mishra said: “I wouldn’t comment on anybody’s statement. But I will say what is (the) fact because I have seen myself that there’s not even one square inch of (Indian) land that Chinese have occupied”.

“And all our troops—whatsoever might have happened in 1962, this is immaterial—but today we are in occupation of our land to the last inch”, Mishra added. In response to another question—why some politicians were presenting a ‘gloomy picture’ and refusing to accept the Indian Army statements on Ladakh—Mishra warned: “I wouldn’t say (anything) about that. But I’ll make a statement of fact that our armed forces are prepared for any eventuality. And, God forbid, if the balloon goes up, (these) people will get a bloody nose from us”.

The journalists at the media interaction were referring to some statements which Rahul Gandhi made after his recent visit to Ladakh. This is for the first time in the last over two years that an Indian dignitary issued a terse warning, albeit without directly naming China, against the powers trying to escalate border skirmishes in Ladakh.

The symposium on manufacturing, marketing and technology of the most modern infrastructure and equipment related to defence and security, with the engagement of a large number of start-ups, was inaugurated by Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar in presence of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi. Among others, Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan, is also expected to attend the conference in Jammu.

While LG of Ladakh, Brig BD Mishra, and LG of J&K, Manoj Sinha, reached to attend the conference after the inauguration on Monday, official sources said that the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, would be participating in the deliberations and addressing the gathering on Tuesday. It is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday.

As part of ‘Bharat Nirman’, vendors are holding an exhibition of the modern gadgetry and security and defence-related equipment, including anti-drone technology, at IIT Jammu. The participants include a manufacturing company which has laid border fencing across India, including in Jammu and Kashmir, and is exporting its products to around 50 countries.

In addition to addressing the North Tech Symposium, Rajnath Singh is scheduled to inaugurate 90 projects commissioned by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), physically and virtually from Deval River in Jammu’s contiguous district of Samba.

The symposium will facilitate a structured approach to product evaluation, prioritization, and acquisition while contributing actionable inputs for procurement plans, officials said.

The North Tech Symposium, which began in 2005 as a blend of equipment, ideas, innovation, and display, has since shifted its focus towards promoting cutting-edge defence technology and self-reliance. The current chapter, according to officials, would be a bigger leap in reinforcing endeavours to close the gap towards desires.