Tensions persist after Chinese Army clash with Ladakh Herders

Tension persists in a remote border region in Ladakh following reports of local herders throwing stones at a Chinese Army patrolling unit earlier this month.

The herders allegedly resorted to this action after being denied access to their traditional grazing lands.

The clash occurred on January 2 in the Kakjung area of Nyoma village, located in the Chushul Valley of Ladakh, which shares a border with China’s Tibet region.

At Patrolling Points 35, 36, and 37 in Dungti village, a group of local herders encountered around a dozen visibly unarmed soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), accompanied by three armored vehicles.

A video clip of the clash, verified by The Wire, shows a herder using a rope as a sling to throw stones at the approaching PLA vehicles, while PLA soldiers and other herders urge him to calm down.

The 9-minute, 50-second video captures a heated argument between the PLA soldiers and the herders as they confront each other. One group of Chinese soldiers, led by an armored vehicle, pushes the herders and their livestock back.

In the video, a PLA soldier is seen obstructing the camera lens of the herder who is filming the incident, while other soldiers continue to record the event and signal for the herders to leave the area.

Subsequently, an agitated herder, who had distanced himself from the scene, retrieves a sling from under his coat, places a stone in it, and swings it at the approaching armored vehicle, narrowly missing it.

Following the clash, the herders were compelled to vacate the area, leading to anger among the nomadic community who rely on the highland pastures of Ladakh for their survival.