When gunshots rang out, truth died a little in the cold ridges of Rezang La

In a further escalation of military tension between India and China, armies of both countries have accused each other of firing in the air during at the mountain top called ‘Mukhpari’ close to Rezang La. Although, both the Indian Army and the PLA agree that firing took place, it is still not clear who squeezed the trigger amid the blame game, writes senior journalist, Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi: It is well said that in the fog of wars and conflicts, truth is often the first casualty. So amid the escalating India-China border tensions when gunshots rang out in the vicinity of the Mukhpari mountain near Rezang La on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso on Monday, it is still not clear who squeezed the trigger.

While both the Indian Army and the PLA agree that firing took place, they say they did not fire and blame the other side for it.

While pictures of PLA soldiers armed with guns and the ‘guandao’ (also called a ‘yanyuedao’) or a machete fixed on to a wooden staff—a favourite weapon used by Shaolin Kung Fu practitioners—from the encounter site near the near Rezang La ridgeline went around in social media, allegations and counter-allegations ran rife.

Yet the few gunshots—the first firing on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since 1975—destroyed whatever remained of the mutually agreed terms of engagement between the two sides.

It had included not only a decision not to resort to use of firearms but not to carry weapons while on patrolling in the area.

It was first the Chinese government mouthpiece the ‘Global Times’ which tweeted PLA’s Western Theatre Command spokesperson’s statement saying: “The Indian Army again illegally crossed the LAC in Shenpao mountain near the south bank of Pangong Tso lake on Monday”.

“Chinese border defense troops were forced to take countermeasures to stabilize the situation after the Indian troops outrageously fired warning shots to PLA border patrol soldiers who were about to negotiate.”

The Indian defence ministry responded with a release on Tuesday: “The statement by the Western Theatre Command is an attempt to mislead their domestic and international audience.”

“In the instant case on 07 September 2020, it was the PLA troops who were attempting to close-in with one of our forward positions along the LAC and when dissuaded by own troops, PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate own troops.”

A senior Indian army official told ETV Bharat on condition of anonymity: “On Monday, an about 50-60 strong PLA group moved towards our positions on one of the heights near Mukhpari near Rezang La where we had already installed wire obstacles as a defensive measure.”

“They tried to push through towards our positions. We tried to warn the PLA with megaphones and other measures. But then they fired a few shots to show their aggressive intent. Now they are positioned at about 200-300 metres away from us.”

The future of warfare being a hybrid one is a truism. Among other things, it will be a war to occupy the high ground of narratives to overwhelm and dominate the other. But somewhere out there, the truth loses its way.