In a strategic move by India, the covert Tibetan battalion of Indian Army has been deployed to counter Chinese incursions along the border regions of Ladakh. The success of the battalion to make a preemptive move against the Chinese counterparts in capturing Reqin and taking control of the heights of south of Pangong Tso on Saturday night has made the nation proud.
Following the reports of Indian army led by the Special Frontier Forces thwarting efforts by Chinese soldiers to change the status quo in the region of Southern bank of Pangong Tso, a renewed tension has come up. With both sides blaming each other, the important aspect from the incident is that India has deployed its secret Tibetan battalion along the border.
The Special Frontier Force is special unit of Indian Army raised in 1962 with primary recruits from the Tibetan community in exile in India. SSF or the ‘Vikas Battalion’ also known as ‘Establishment 22’ (two-two in military parlance) is an elite paramilitary force, that was always kept under a shroud of secrecy. It is under the administrative control of the intelligence establishment of India, although it is placed under the command of the Indian Army, whenever it is required to carry out covert operations.
The SFF has been used for selective and highly-sensitive military operations such as ‘Operation Eagle’ (Chittagong Hills in the 1971 Indo-Pak war), ‘Operation Bluestar’ (Golden Temple in 1984) ‘Operation Meghdoot’ (Siachen Glacier in 1984) and ‘Operation Vijay’ (Kargil, 1999). Current deployment is a powerful statement from India as it is the Tibetans versus the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), that forcefully controls over Tibet.
Negotiations between India and China have been going on for the last three months, including five Lieutenant General-level talks but have failed to yield any results, so far. Earlier this June, the skirmishes turned violent wherein India claimed to have lost the lives of 20 soldiers with similar casualties on the Chinese side as well.
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