Sikkim Clash: ‘Small’ Indian Lt Who Punched a ‘Big’ Chinese Major
UPDATED: 11/05/2020 AT 11:20 PM
When a young Indian Army lieutenant punched a Chinese PLA major on his nose, at
and sent blood oozing from his nose, he nearly provoked an escalation that his officers had not bargained for.
The officer's infantry unit had stopped the
, and were furious at the Chinese commissar for shouting, "This (Sikkim) is not your land, this is not Indian territory... so just go back."
Brought up in a military family – his grandfather a veteran of the Royal and then Indian Air Force and his father a colonel in the Indian Army – the officer could not stomach it anymore.
The Lieutenant Was Patted For Bravery, Yet Admonished For ‘Provoking a Bigger Spat’
The Chinese major collapsed with a thud and his name tag came loose – a good souvenir to carry back – but the lieutenant left it alone, as his colleagues pulled him back.
After being admonished for a while by senior officers, for provoking a bigger spat, and being congratulated by officers from command and divisional headquarters at Kolkata and Sukna, the lieutenant was preparing for a commendation. But, the senior commanders could not land at Muguthang because of bad weather.
Meanwhile, the lieutenant is unrepentant, but somewhat crestfallen because he has been pulled back to a location away from the front. His only comfort that his troops are loving his act of 'teaching the Chinese the right lesson.'