GUWAHATI: Arunachal Police is verifying reports of abduction of five villagers by the Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) from Nacho, a remote area of Upper Subansiri district.
Reportedly, five villagers from the Tagin community were abducted from a jungle near Nacho while they were out hunting.
The development comes at a time when there has been simmering tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with Indian and Chinese armies facing off in Ladakh of late.
“We have come to know about the reported abduction of five villagers by PLA, from social media only. Accordingly, we are now trying to verify the ground reality. A police team from Nacho has moved to the area to find out what actually had happened, whether actually there was any abduction or whether these five persons are army porters or hunters,” Upper Subansiri superintendent of police, Keni Bagra told The Shillong Times on Saturday.
Nacho is a remote village with a sparse population (reportedly less than 400 people) and poor communication links, situated about 130 km from the district headquarters of Daporijo.
Asked whether there has been any communication with the family members of the ‘abducted villagers’, Bagra said that there has been no contact.
“No formal complaint has been lodged with the police till Saturday afternoon,” he said.
The police are reportedly in touch with the Army as there have been instances in the past of PLA capturing villagers from the LAC and releasing them.
Arunachal Pradesh home minister, Bamang Felix told the media that the state government was in touch with the Army and trying to ascertain the facts on the ground.
Meanwhile, politicians and organizations, such as the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union, have reacted sharply to the reported abduction.
“Shocking News: Five people from Upper Subansiri district of our state Arunachal Pradesh have reportedly been ‘abducted’ by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Few months earlier, a similar incident happened. A befitting reply must be given to PLA and China,” Congress MLA Ninong Ering reacted on Twitter.
Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal-East, Tapir Gao too did not mince words on Twitter.
“Five Tagin youths have reportedly been abducted by China’s PLA from Sera 7 area below the McMahon Line under Indian territory in Upper Subansiri in Arunachal since September 3. Similar incident happened in March. Time to take a stand against CCP (Chinese Comunist Party),” he tweeted.
Condemning the reported development, AAPSU general secretary Tobom Dai said, “It’s a very saddening episode that five civilians of Nacho circle in Upper Subansiri district have been taken captive by PLA.
“The oft repeated incidents committed on innocent people living in the vicinity of the international boundary by Chinese army are acts of aggression undermining the peaceful coexistence of a sovereign neighbour. We condemn the incident in the strongest words. Such an act of incursion creates artificial disputes. We demand safe release of all the persons immediately,” Dai said.