Writtem By Varnika Rungta (Grade 7)
The Sino-Indian War, also known as the Indo-China War, Indo-China War of 1962, or Sino-Indian War of 1962, took place between China and India from October to November 1962. During the war, armed conflict occurred along India’s border with China.
The reasons for the Indo-China war were the historical legacy of the India and China border which remained disputed from pre-independent India, the sovereignty of the widely separated Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh border regions and the meeting of Jawaharlal Nehru and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai as it failed to bridge their differences. During the war, 722 PLA soldiers were killed and approximately 1,400 from China were wounded, while the death toll in India stood at 1,383, and 1,047 soldiers were wounded. Besides, 1,696 Indians went missing and over 400 were taken as prisoners of war. India sought American assistance from the U.S. President, John F. Kennedy for the provision of jet fighters to stem the Chinese tide of aggression during the war. The war severely demoralized the Indian army and showed its weakness leading to the war with Pakistan in 1965 and decades of handicapped relations with China. During that time, our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was part of the Central government and claimed that Aksai Chin had been part of the Indian Ladakh region for centuries and it was non-negotiable. India was not at all confident that a war would break out and was not serious regarding the deployment of troops. The war was won by China.
Out of many people, he is one who lost his life in the Sino-Indian War is Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for his actions during the war.
Wars are fought and won but the turmoil and destruction that they leave behind are unimaginable. It is better not to fight but solve it in an easy and non-violent way.
Featured Image Courtesy – The Kootneeti
