Chinese army hands over 5 Arunachal youth to India
The People s Liberation Army (PLA) of China on Saturday handed over the five Arunachal Pradesh youth to the Indian Army. The five will be handed over to their families in Nacho area of Upper Subansiri district after spending 14 days in quarantine as per COVID-19 protocol_ Indian Army officials said. Indian Army took over all five individuals at Kibithu on 12 September_ 2020 after completing all necessary formalities_ Lieutenant Colonel Harsh Wardhan Pande_ PRO (Defence) based at Tezpur in Assam said in a release. The individuals will now be quarantined for 14 days as per Covid-19 protocol and thereafter be handed over to their family members_ it added. According to the army_ this was the third such instance of youths from Arunachal Pradesh living near the Indo-China border straying inadvertently to the other side of line of actual control (LAC) during adventurous forays . Indian Army has always been proactive in tracing the lost locals and helping them return home. Three such incidents took place in the current year in Upper Subansiri and West Siang district including the latest one_ the release said. All such individuals were brought back home safely after consistent efforts and coordination by Indian Army in the past_ it added. The 5 youths from Tagin tribe_ who used to work as porters for Indian Army_ had gone missing on September 2 reportedly from Sera-7 in Upper Subansiri district on the Indian side of the McMohan line bifurcating Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet autonomous region (TAR) of China. Following their disappearance_ a brother of one of the missing youths posted on social media that they had been abducted by PLA. The same accusation was made by Tapir Gao_ BJP MP from Arunachal East and Congress MLA from Pasighat Ninong Ering in their tweets. Responding to a hotline message sent by Indian Army_ the People s Liberation Army had informed on Tuesday that the youths have been found on the Chinese side and their condition was fine. The disappearance of the youths and the allegation of their abduction by PLA had added to the heightened tension between both countries. -Source: Hindustan Times
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