Poetic justice!

China gets a taste of its own medicine as Indian Army's SFF with Tibetan soldiers gives a bloody nose to the PLA.

The PLA troops in the night of 28-29 Aug tried to pull another Galwan valleyesque coup on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake area in eastern Ladakh. However, a covert Indian unit, this time around, has given a bloody nose to the Chinese troops who have a dominating position in the area and are now accusing Indian forces of entering Chinese territory.

India's secretive Special Frontier Force (SFF) took a pre-emptive measure against the Chinese PLA where China was stepping up its salami-slicing tactics and military build up.

"Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong Tso ,lake and undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground", a statement issued by the Indian Army stated.

Meanwhile, the PLA's Western Theatre Command is trying to use reverse psychology to get Indian forces to vacate the dominating position. "#China strongly opposes the acts and urges India to immediately withdraw the troops that have illegally crossed the LAC", tweeted Global Times - a CCP mouthpiece.

According to several news reports, India has now captured a key height which gives it a strategic advantage in the Pangong Tso frontier, as China's unprecedented military buildup and provocations have lasted for months.

China has deployed heavy and light tanks in the area and they are within engaging distance of Indian positions. The Indian forces at Kala Top, however, are fully armed and has tank and artillery support. 

Because of dominant positions held by India's Special Frontier Force (SFF) at Kala Topand army units on other adjoining heights, movements of Chinese tanks and machinery has been halted.

Brigadier level negotiations are on but China is refusing to comply by the LAC.

The thwarting of another transgression activity by China is especially sweet because the secret unit that foiled Beijing's plan comprises of Tibetan recruits who have been living in exile in India.

Special Frontier Force (SFF) is a covert Indian paramilitary unit that operates under the Director General of Security (DGS), a wing of India's external intelligence agency R&AW. Earlier it used to exclusively recruit the Tibetans but the Gorkhas are also a part of it now.

The DGS, in fact, predates it and was set up in 1962 after the Sino-Indian border war. The unit, also known as Establishment 22 and "Vikas" is officered by the Indian army and recruits its personnel from among the Tibetan diaspora, settled in India. Its personnel have participated in India's various wars from 1971 to the Kargil War 1999.

Strictly speaking, the SFF units are not part of the Army but they function under the operational control of the Army. The units have their own rank structures which have equivalent status with Army ranks. However, they are highly trained special forces personnel who can undertake a variety of tasks that would normally be performed by any special forces unit.

The recent clashes between India and China show that Beijing's fears of losing occupied Indian territories are coming true. China's attempt to change the 'status  quo' has been met with an effective and strong response. The covert SSF has shown its capabilities and the PLA troops are looking for cover on the southern bank. The Tibetans that have been fighting for Independence from China must have felt at peace after receiving the news of the poetic justice delivered by the SFF soldiers.

Source. Adapted from an article in the TFIPOST!

Adieu Pranab da!

Pranab Kumar Mukherjee, the former President of India, passed away yesterday. A scholar and a reasonable politician of his times, he's respected by one and all. I remember him on a very personal note when he'd flagged off our '9th Vigyan Vikas Yatra' from the lawns of the Raj Bhavan, Kerala on 31 Oct 2012 and had spoken to us.  

Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle late, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. Washing machinex of the bed linen.