New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday expressed deep concern over the dismantling of a memorial site at Rezang La in Chushul, where Major Shaitan Singh fell in the 1962 war, allegedly due to its location falling within the buffer zone negotiated with China in 2021.
Ramesh in a tweet said that this act is a significant insult to the memory of Major Singh and all the fallen heroes of Charlie Company.
According to Ramesh, the incident provides further evidence that the buffer zones negotiated by the BJP-ruled central government encroach upon the territory previously controlled by India, marking what he deemed a "most shameful concession".
“The defence of Rezang La by C Company of 13 Kumaon, led by the legendary Major Shaitan Singh, is one of the most storied episodes of Indian war history. 114 gallant men of C Company fought to the last man and last bullet against greater numbers of Chinese (five were captured alive) and arguably saved Ladakh by successfully defending the approach to Chushul airport. Rezang La is believed to have inflicted the greatest casualties on the Chinese of any engagement in the 1962 war. Major Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest gallantry award, while five Vir Chakras and four Sena Medals were awarded to others in his company,” Ramesh wrote on X.
Congress MP from Rajya Sabha further said that Chushul Councillor Konchok Stanzin has revealed that the site at which Major Singh fell, where a memorial had been built, was dismantled as it fell in the buffer zone negotiated with China in 2021.
“This is a huge insult to the memory of Major Singh and the fallen heroes of Charlie Company. If any proof was still needed that the buffer zones negotiated by the Modi government are in territory previously controlled by India, it is provided by this most shameful concession,” he further tweeted.
Hitting hard at the BJP government, the Congress leader said that for four years, the Modi government has tried to cover up the worst territorial setback in six decades for India with its DDLJ approach: Deny, Distract, Lie and Justify. Since May 2020, Chinese troops continue to deny Indian patrols access to the strategic Depsang Plains, Demchok and other areas in eastern Ladakh.
“Despite hollow claims of an Indian victory in Doklam in 2017, China has increased its stranglehold on Bhutanese territory in the past six years, increasing the threat to India’s Siliguri Corridor, also known as Chicken’s Neck. China understands that if the Prime Minister is allowed to claim PR successes, he will continue to cede ground to the Chinese salami slicing tactics. And he will continue to lie to the nation proclaiming “Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai,” said Ramesh.
“It is time to tell the truth to the people of India, and to explain how and when the status quo ante will be restored in Ladakh,” the tweet added.