Dolam: Complete media blackout.
“Suddenly there was crazy movement of soldiers outside. We thought war had broken out. Then there were also rumours of clashes on social media, which were rubbish. We would have heard the gunfire and bombs going off had that happened because we are so close to the border,” says a resident of Kupup, one of the last villages near the Indo-China border.
This area was tense in the initial days, but fears have slowly ebbed and there was never any restriction on their movement.
The initial media hysteria post the India-China standoff has residents edgy. They are not comfortable talking to reporters. They share a close working relationship with the army and don’t want to jeopardise it.
“Even we have not seen Doklam, we are not allowed to go to that area. How can reporters stand 80 km away and say they are at ground zero,” says another resident unhappy with the reports.
The area has been sealed off by the army; barring soldiers and their support staff no one is allowed in the area.
Reliable sources in the army tell us that soldiers from both sides stand face-to-face 24x7 at over 11,000 feet in Doklam braving the elements.
The monsoon rains lash the plateau and night temperatures can drop below 5 degrees. Shifts change and wet uniforms have to be dried out, but with no sign of the sun for days it’s an arduous task.
Several kitchens have been set up to feed the hungry jawans. The Chinese and Indian soldiers posted there see other each other every day and some apparently even exchange cigarettes.
On our first attempt to travel to Kupup, Nathang and Zuluk villages, we got as far as Thegu, which is approximately 15 km from Nathu La.
The army checkpoint seemed to know we were coming. The sentry was quick to reach out to his superiors. As I waited for them to check our credentials, I walked around.
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