MC Explains: Army video on LAC border clash deleted, what does it reveal about the situation?

An examination of the meaning of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the disputes surrounding it is necessary while tensions between China and India persist along this border.

The Indian Army's Western Command posted a video clip on YouTube regarding the gallantry awards and citations given during its annual parade and investiture ceremony on January 13. This video clip highlighted the precarious situation along the 3,488-km LAC, with forward deployment by the two armies stretching from eastern Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.

After the video footage went viral on social media, Army headquarters intervened on January 15 to have the Western Command, which is headquartered in Chandimandir, remove it.

The Western Command "erred by putting classified information and operations in the public domain," according to a report by The Times of India.

What is Line of Actual Control or LAC?

The line dividing Chinese-controlled territory from Indian-controlled territory is known as the LAC. The Chinese estimate the length of the LAC to be just about 2,000 km, but India believes it to be 3,488 km long. It is split into three sectors: the middle sector, which includes Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the western sector, which includes Ladakh, and the eastern sector, which includes Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

India-China Face-off

Galwan Valley - 2020
On June 15, 2020, many soldiers plunged into the icy Galwan River as Indian and Chinese soldiers on both sides engaged in man-to-man combat.

A small contingent of the Indian border police group descended to the 15,000-foot Galwan Valley, in order to take down a Chinese tent that had been erected there. Following negotiations on June 6, 2020 between Lieutenant-General level commanders from both sides, China consented to take down the tent.

According to media reports, the patrol group commanded by Colonel BL Santosh Babu was attacked by the Chinese side, which resulted in a violent altercation. They were assaulted with nails-tipped rods and batons.

Several times throughout the six-hour battle, reinforcements were brought in, and numerous troops were killed.

2022 Clash
Subsequently, as China continued to escalate tensions along the border between Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, a skirmish broke out on December 9, 2022, in Yangtse in the Tawang sector, injuring multiple soldiers from both sides.

Army Chief General Manoj Pande's comments

Army Chief General Manoj Pande stated on January 15 that the Indian Army is equipped to handle any circumstance along the northern frontiers, notwithstanding the continuous border tensions between China and India at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

He said, “The army is ready and capable of dealing with any situation along the northern borders (with China). We have taken several concrete measures to develop our capabilities in those areas.”

According to Pande, the Indian Army has acquired cutting-edge equipment and weaponry, with an emphasis on building out border regions' infrastructure.

Even after four rounds of disengagement in different areas, tens of thousands of soldiers and cutting-edge weapons from the Chinese and Indian militaries are still in place.