Okay, so now that today's news inflow has trickled down, this is what we have heard till now -
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Hard facts (which have been confirmed) -
- Clash indeed happened (conflicting if one or two clashes).
- Injuries to our soldiers (6 admitted to 151 BH Basistha, Guwahati).
- Location - Tawang, Yangtse.
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The narrative provided by different agencies -
- Our esteemed GoI/MoD:- Minor scuffle which was immediately diffused, minor injuries. Flag meeting resolved the issue (Sb changa si)
Conclusion:- Stinks of deliberate downplaying of the incident, especially in light of fact #2.
- News channels:-
- Anywhere from 100(Shiv Aroor) to 600 (Print) Chinese troops.
- Minor stone-pelting only (IndiaToday)
- Dangerous Melee weapons were used (Print)
- Chinese tried to occupy an Indian post at 17,000 ft (IndiaToday)
- Chinese tried to build a fence (Times Now).
- The tensions were high even before (leaves canceled, officers called back, etc.) (Times Now)
- We overpowered the Chinese (multiple sources).
- Weibo:- Small gunfight took place.
Conclusion:- Probably fake news, no other sources even mention it.
- Satellite images
- Sentinel:- No build-up or offensive formation observed in 2nd - 12th Dec.
- Google Earth:- An IA post corresponding to what IndiaToday reported (at 17,000 ft) indeed exists at Yangtse, Tawang.
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Principles to follow:-
- Occam's razor (the simplest explanation is generally the correct one)
- There is no smoke without fire (news/data points don't originate out of nowhere)
- GoI is a pussy.
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Final Conclusion:-
- It seems like the tensions were high as Chinese moved troops opposite Yangtse around 10 days back. A minor scuffle took place 10 days back (source, Times Now). Judging the situation, local troops and commanders put on high alert.
- 9th Dec morning, some 300 Chinese troops approach IA post at Tangtse, confronted by ~50 Indian troops. Clash starts (it is unclear if stone-pelting only or melee weapons used). Within 30 mins our reinforcements arrive and we overpower the Chinese.
- 10th Dec Flag meeting between commanders to resolve the situation.
- The fact that 6 injured Indian soldiers needed to be referred to BH at Guwahati signals their injuries were serious, which cannot be catered by local field hospitals or even MH Tawang.
View attachment 185773
@mokoman