Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu who is on a three-day tour of the Indo-Tibet border in Tawang district visited the Tulung la pass, located at around 17600 feet above sea level, on Tuesday and interacted with the officers and jawans of the Indian Army.
Khandu who took to twitter to share the information said that the visit was to remind the soldiers that they are not alone and the entire nation is with them.
“Bravo Indian Army guarding our borders at extreme heights of Himalaya. Visited Tulung la pass (17600 ft) at India-Tibet border during my 3-day tour of the border areas. A visit to remind our soldiers that they are not alone in the mountains and the whole nation is with you,” the chief minister said in a tweet.
Khandu on the day also paid tributes to the martyrs of 5 Assam Rifles at the Chhetri War Memorial near Tulung la pass.
The memorial which was inaugurated by Khandu in November last year was built to recognize the ultimate sacrifices made by Lance naik Nar Bahadur Chhetri and riflemen Ganesh Bahadur Chhetri, Krishan Bahadur Chhetri and Nar Bahadur Chhetri of the 5 Assam Rifles while fighting the Chinese forces near the Tulung La pass in 1975.
“Your supreme sacrifice will never be forgotten. You always live in our heart and in our memory. Paid tribute to Veer Jawans of 5 Assam Rifles at Chhetri War Memorial near Tulung la pass at India-Tibet border. The brave soldiers died defending our motherland against the enemy,” Khandu tweeted.
The chief minister, accompanied by chief secretary Naresh Kumar, commissioner (Planning) Prashant Lokhande and other officials of the state government later met the ITBP officers and jawans at Lungur which is also near the India-Tibet border.
Sharing the information Khandu said: “Humbled to meet our @ITBP_official jawans at Lungur near India-Tibet China border in Tawang district. May we never take for granted our comfort and peace while someone out there in the borders are guarding the borders in extreme conditions. Salute to our Himveer!”
Earlier on the day, the team led by the chief minister met and interacted with the Indian Army personnel posted at the Omthang view point (14300 ft), Gonga Tso Lake (16000 ft) and Chuna outpost and the Brokpas of Sulungthi valley near the international border.
The chief minister’s visit to all the aforementioned places located along the Indo-Tibet border comes around a month after a minor face-off was reported between the Indian and Chinese soldiers near the Yangtse post of Tawang district.
Media reports stated around 100 Chinese army personnel had reportedly tried to enter the Indian Territory but were forced back. There were also reports of some physical engagement between the two sides.
The matter was, however, resolved within a few hours following talks between commanders of the two sides, reports said.
