Anger and tension in India after deadly clashes with China

Text by: Côme Bastin Follow

India and China clashed Tuesday in the Himalayan region of Ladakh. Indian sources speak of 20 dead on the Indian side and up to 43 dead or injured on the other. The tension is at its height in the subcontinent.

Publicity

In full pandemic, it is in 45 years the first deadly confrontation between the two largest armies of Asia, each equipped with the atomic weapon.

Tension has been mounting for a month around the border dispute between India and China in the Himalayas. On May 5 and 9, stick clashes had taken place following an incursion of Chinese troops into Indian soil. Military talks on June 7 raised hopes of de-escalation.

" Give a lesson to China "

In India, emotion and anger dominate. A Tamil soldier who had planned to leave the army is made into a martyr and the hashtag #TeachLessonToChina ("Teach China a lesson") is featured on Twitter. Internet users are also debating the real number of deaths among opponents.

Difficult to know what really happened in this landlocked region where each of the powers accuses the other of having encroached on its territory. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday morning called on the Prime Minister to break his silence and ask how China dared to kill soldiers in India.

To make matters worse, Nepal last Saturday approved a new map of its territory that the Indian government disputes. This decision is seen as one more sign of Beijing's imperialism, which is exerting more and more weight on this buffer state.

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