MUMBAI/ NEW DELHI (INDIA) – The death of a member of an Indian special forces unit in a mine explosion near the site of a border face-off with China in the Himalayas has shed light on the hitherto little-known group of elite, high-altitude fighters.
The blast near the shores of Pangong Tso lake in the western Himalayas killed Tenzin Nyima, 53, and seriously injured another commando.
Over the weekend, Chinese and Indian troops have come to almost direct confrontation in the contested frontier.
Nyima belonged to the Special Frontier Force (SFF), said his family and government officials.
The unit mostly recruits Tibetan refugees who have made India their home since their leader the Dalai Lama fled Tibet following a failed uprising in 1959.
Nothing much is known about the unit which was set up after the war between India and China in 1962. According to sources, it comprises 3,500 men.
According to Amitabh Mathur, a former Indian government adviser on Tibetan affairs, the unit comprises “crack troops, especially in the context of mountain climbing and high-altitude warfare.
“If at all they (SFF) were deployed, I am not surprised. It makes sense to deploy them at high altitudes. They are terrific mountain climbers and commandos.”
China always considers the presence of Tibetans in India a threat to its territorial integrity and Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist.
Beijing foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she was not aware if Tibetans were fighting for India.
“We are firmly opposed to any country, including India, supporting the secession activities of Tibetan pro-independence forces or providing them with any assistance or physical space,” she said on Wednesday.
