Flights Of Fantasy
[ M Panging Pao ]
We all have heard of the Assam Regiment, the Assam Rifles, the Sikh Regiment, the Kumaon Regiment, the Gurkha Regiment, etc. We also heard of the Naga Regiment. The Assam Regiment and the Naga Regiment are the only army units of Northeast India. The Assam Rifles is a paramilitary unit under the ministry of home. The Assam Regiment has about 25 battalions and the Naga Regiment has four battalions.
A few years back, the government raised the Arunachal Scouts as an infantry formation based in Arunachal Pradesh, specializing in mountain warfare. Most soldiers of the Arunachal Scouts are local and established with the purpose of defending the Indian-Tibet border in Arunachal Pradesh. Presently there are only two battalions of the Arunachal Scouts: the first raised in 2010 and the second in 2013. The Arunachal Scouts are part of the Assam Regiment.
India and China have had an acrimonious relationship over the last 60 years. The major conflict was the Sino-India war of 1962, where Chinese forces entered almost 100 kms inside India along five axes. There have been regular clashes at Nathu La in 1967, Sumdorong Chu in 1987, Doklam confrontation in 2017, Chinese incursions in Asaphila, Tuting and Chaklagam areas of Arunachal in 2017-2018 and the recent Sino-India conflict at Pangong Tso Lake and Galwan Valley in Ladakh. Tense situation exists all along the Sino-India border.
The Chinese still claim Arunachal Pradesh as ‘Southern Tibet’ and issues stapled visas to Arunachal citizens. They object to visits by senior Indian officials, ministers to Arunachal and uses rivers originating in China to arm-twist India. The McMahon Line demarcates the eastern border between India and China. About 890 kms in length, the McMahon Line followed the watershed principle and runs along the highest ridges of these eastern Himalayan ranges, running from east of Bhutan to the trijunction of India, China and Myanmar.
In case of any future conflict, the battleground would be the mountains, hills and valleys of Arunachal Pradesh. Considering the mountainous terrain, dense jungles, deep gorges and ravines, it may be easily understood that persons living in these areas are better suited to fight the enemy. The locals are accustomed to the terrain and weather and can easily live off the land. To fight and defeat the enemy in such terrain and weather, India needs to have a specialized Arunachal Regiment, composed of at least 5-6 battalions. Similarly, the mountain divisions of the army should be composed mostly of soldiers hailing from mountainous regions. Enlisting of soldiers need not always base on pro rata basis based on population only; rather, it should be based on strategic principles to suit military objectives.
Though modern weapons are required, wars and battles are won by effective soldiers. Therefore it is high time that more battalions of the Arunachal Scouts should be formed and the entire formation should be transformed and renamed as Arunachal Regiment. This small step may be one of the best ways to tackle the Chinese challenge. (The contributor is retired Group Captain, Indian Air Force)
