Army celebrates diamond jubilee of key battle during Chinese aggression

Itanagar: The Indian Army is celebrating the diamond jubilee of the Battle of Walong which is as an example of bravery and sacrifice made by the bravehearts of the force in the face of Chinese aggression in 1962. Sixty years ago, the Indian Army gave a “bloody nose” to the Chinese in the Battle of Walong, Tezpur-based Defence spokesperson Lt Col AS Walia said in a statement. “The Indian Army launched its only counterattack during the war to stall the advancing People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers. The bravehearts of Indian Army held back the Chinese troops for 27 days, which forced them to deploy its reserve division from Tawang to Walong.

“Outnumbered and with little ammunition and no resource of any kind, the valiant troops continued to hold their ground in a classic example of fighting till last man, last round,” the statement said.

This saga of valour and sacrifice serves as a tale of inspiration for generations to come, it added.

The month-long celebrations which are aligned with the operations and events as it occurred between October and November 1962, would include lectures on the Battle of Walong at Army War College Mhow, Defence Services Staff College Wellington and in Kolkata, the statement said. The event was inaugurated at Walong in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh by General Officer Commanding Spear Corps on Monday. He paid homage at the war memorial and interacted with the war veterans and also honoured the porters who participated in the battle.

An equipment display was also organised for the locals as part of ‘Know your Army’ campaign

The event would also include a motorcycle rally, to be flagged off from Tezpur, which will traverse the battlefields of 1962, collecting soils from those areas, which will thereafter be instated at Walong War Memorial, the statement said. The celebrations would culminate on November 17 at Walong. A large number of war veterans and their relatives would also be honoured, the statement said.