To keep Chinese army at bay, residents of Arunachal Pradesh want army training

The people of Arunachal Pradesh want to be trained in arms and ammunition to fight the Chinese army in case there is an attack.

Itanagar, August 10: At a time when India and China have been locked in a face-off in the Dokhlam area of the Sikkim sector for over 50 days now, residents of Arunachal Pradesh, which also shares border with China and has been the flashpoint of the Indo-China war in 1962, want the Indian Army to train them in handling arms and ammunition.

The people of Mechuka in West Siang district of the picturesque state feel that some army training is necessary to keep the Chinese Army at bay in case there is an "attack" from the neighbouring country.

Talking to The Telegraph, Hilot Mugli, a 70-year-old resident of Mechuka, said, "During the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the Chinese army reached Mechuka through Manigaon and attacked the Indian Army. We were not trained and we were helpless to aid our jawans.

We should now get training so that we can protect ourselves as well as our jawans. We have now got an advanced landing ground and road to the town is also cleared up for facilitating quicker movement of troops to the border."

The places like Mechuka, Manigaon and Tuting are located near Indo-China border. Moreover, these are all hilly places because of which roadways are not very friendly. The hilly terrain makes it difficult for soldiers of the Indian Army to reach quickly in case of any eventuality.

So, the people of these places feel training in arms and ammunition would be of great help in protecting the border.

In fact, some time ago, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre wanted to impart "military training" to the people in the border areas of the Northeast region of the country in order to integrate them with the vigilance and security apparatus of the Indian Army.

Akeng Nitik, who is a goanburah (village headman) of Jumbo village in Upper Siang district, 25km from the border, said, "In 1962, the army gave a rifle to every village. If anything happens we will be in trouble but if our youths are trained they can resist the Chinese Army for some time. The army is also extending help on all fronts."

OneIndia News