Upon facing resistance over the right to graze their sheep, a group of shepherds in Ladakh on Wednesday confronted the Chinese soldiers near the India-China border.
A video of the altercation taking place between the shepherds and the Chinese soldiers has been widely circulated on social media, with many commenting on the shepherds' bravery.
Following the India-China standoff at Ladakh's Galwan district in 2020, the shepherds had stopped grazing animals in the area. But, now they have returned to the area and were stopped by the Chinese Army.
Lauding the shepherds' courage, Chushul councilor Konchok Stanzin said he salutes those 'who always stand to protect our land and stand as the second guardian force of the nation.'
"See how our local people are showing their bravery in front of the PLA claiming that the area they are stopping is our nomad's grazing land. PLA stopping our nomads from grazing in our territory. Seems it is never a never-ending process due to different lines of perceptions," Stanzin said.
In another post, he stated that the shepherds standing up to the army is "heartening to see".
"It is heartening to see the positive impact made by @firefurycorps_IA [Indian Army] in border areas of Eastern Ladakh in facilitating the graziers and nomads to assert their rights in traditional grazing grounds along the north bank of Pangong. I would like to thank Indian Army for such strong civil-military relations and looking after the interests of the border area population. (sic)," Stanzin tweeted.
