Brigadier along with his buddy walked across to warn the Chinese at Doklam : Bakshi

As the confrontation with China at Doklam in the Northeast began to unfold earlier this year, an Indian Brigade Commander, accompanied only by his buddy, had walked across the border and warned Chinese troops to step back. China did not advance an inch thereafter.

Revealing this here today, Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi (retd), the then General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, and the senior-most commander in the theater, claimed the Doklam (or Doka La) episode had been anticipated by the Indian establishment.

Though China upped the ante through media and diplomatic channels, the spectre of war was very low, he said. There, however, was a possibility of China opening another front or a skirmish breaking out, Lt Gen Bakshi said at the two-day Military Literature Festival being organised by the Punjab Government.

Interactions with the Chinese commander in Tibet during his earlier visit to India had indicated his operational interest in that region, and heightened Sino activity in the sector was observed too, he said.

In June-August, Indian and Chinese troops had been locked in a 73-day confrontation at Doklam, a pass situated on the tri-junction of Sikkim, China and Bhutan, over the construction of a new road by China in the vicinity of a territory disputed by China and Bhutan.

On August 28, it was announced that the confronting troops had disengaged, though reports were still emerging that the two sides continued to maintain troop formations in the sector.

“Complete operational autonomy had been delegated to the commanders on ground and we were geared up for a long haul. There were clear-cut operational directions, requisite coordination among government agencies and the wherewithal was made available. As we saw Doklam coming, additional formations had been moved to the area beforehand and the troops were well acclimatised,” said Lt Gen Bakshi.

The engagement with the Chinese government was only through the Ministry of External Affairs. At the same time, serious internal disturbances in neighbouring Darjeeling region resulted in New Delhi sending a firm message to the West Bengal government.

Maintaining that psychological advantage lay with India, he said troops, while forming human chains, refused to back down and not even once did they break ranks. The area was under constant surveillance and a few instances of Chinese troops, who were mostly conscripts and regularly resorted to propaganda and playing loud music, breaking ranks at night were observed, he claimed.

Calling for an analysis as to who or what prompted Chinese action at Doklam and at what level were the decisions taken, Lt Gen Bakshi said China now viewed India as a threat and the standoff had forced Sino troop deployment along the Line of Actual Control. “Earlier, they only used to patrol the area. But now they have started building defences,” he added.

Another lesson from Doklam was that the border management of disputed boundaries needed a complete re-look and there could not be multiple agencies for a single border.