Chumar
Chumar
Chumur | |
---|---|
Village | |
Coordinates: 32°40′N 78°34′E / 32.67°N 78.56°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Union Territory | Ladakh |
District | Leh |
Tehsil | Nyoma |
Government | |
• Type | Halqa Panchayat |
Elevation | 5,100 m (16,700 ft) |
Languages | |
• Official | Ladakhi, Hindi |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Chumar (or Chumur) is a village and a border patrol facility located in south-eastern Ladakh, India. It is in Rupshu block, south of the Tso Moriri lake, on the bank of the Parang River (or Pare Chu), close to Ladakh's border with Tibet.[1][2] Since 2012, China disputes the border in this area, though the Chumur village itself is undisputed.[3][4]
Sino-Indian border dispute
Chumar has been one of the most active areas on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in terms of interactions between Chinese and Indian troops. Located 190 km northwest of Zanda, it had long been an area of discomfort for the Chinese troops as, until 2014, Chumar had been one of the relatively few places along the Sino-Indian border where the Chinese had no roads near the LAC.[5][6]
According to Phunchok Stobdan, "In Chumar, China probably wants a straight border from PT (point) 4925 to PT 5318 to bring the Tible-Mane area under its control", in essence removing the bulge along the LAC at Chumar.[7] The Chinese opened up this new front of the border dispute in Chumar in 2012, prior to that, the border here was the International Border and not the Line of Actual Control.[7]
As part of the resolution to the 2013 Depsang standoff, the Indian side agreed to take down some bunkers in Chumar in return for the Chinese withdrawing from the Depsang standoff area.[8][9]
A road from Chumar leads up to the LAC. Along this road near the LAC, there is an Indian post at Point 30R, or known simply as 30R. 30R gets its name from being at a sharp elevation of 30 metres as compared to its surroundings.[10] PLA patrols often come up to 30R.[8] However they are at a tactical disadvantage since vehicles cannot come up to 30R; they have even tried using horses to enter the area.[10][8] The Chinese have tried constructing a road across 30R, including in 2014 when they claimed they had orders to build a road till Tible, but they have been stopped from doing so by India.[10][8] During the 2014 standoff here, Chinese troops had also positioned themselves on 30R, and had even heavy machinery with them for road construction.[11] Chinese troops have also been reported to have removed Indian surveillance cameras from the area.[8] The 2014 faceoff at Chumar, which started on 10 September, started days before President Xi visited India and continued even as he was in India.[12] Indian media quoting army source said that nearly 1000 Chinese soldiers had entered Indian territory in the Chumur sector on the day Xi was in India.[13]
See also
- Parang River
- List of disputed territories of India
- Line of Actual Control
- Demchok sector
- 2013 Depsang standoff
References
- ^ Panchayat Data, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, 2017. Accessed on 12 October 2020.
- ^ Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak (1890), p. 278: "A village in the Rupshu district, on the left bank of the Para river, which here turns south and eventually joins the Sutlej."
- ^ Aroor, Shiv (5 September 2013). "Chinese Army has occupied 640 square km in three Ladakh sectors, says report". India Today. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ Tiwary, Deeptiman (8 January 2014). "Chinese troops enter Ladakh every 14 days". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ Kondapalli, Srikanth (6 May 2013). "The fallout of China's Depsang plains transgression - Rediff.com India News". Rediff News. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ^ "China defends its latest incursion into Ladakh's Chumar sector". Indian Express. PTI. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ a b Datta, Sujan (17 September 2014). "Face-off on border on eve of Modi-Xi date". Telegraph India. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Indo-China stand-off worsens: Chinese pitch seven tents in Chumar". Deccan Chronicle. PTI. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Joshi, Manoj (7 May 2013). "Making sense of the Depsang incursion". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Singh, Sushant (16 June 2020). "Explained: Six years ago, how a standoff in Ladakh ended after discussion". The Indian Express. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ Fairclough, Gordon (30 October 2014). "India-China Border Standoff: High in the Mountains, Thousands of Troops Go Toe-to-Toe". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ Gupta, Shishir (16 September 2014). "China, India in border skirmish ahead of Xi visit". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ "Nearly 1,000 Chinese soldiers enter India". Deccan Herald. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
Bibliography
- Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak, Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing, 1890
- Cunningham, Alexander (1854), Ladak: Physical, Statistical, Historical, London: Wm. H. Allen and Co – via archive.org
- Strachey, Henry (1854), Physical Geography of Western Tibet, London: William Clows and Sons – via archive.org
External links
- Article about the 2014 Chumar confrontation from Sina Military