Memorial to come up for Army officer who brought Tawang under India's administrative control


PTI | Itanagar | Updated: 15-01-2021 21:19 IST | Created: 15-01-2021 21:00 IST
Memorial to come up for Army officer who brought Tawang under India's administrative control
Representative image Image Credit: ANI
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Arunachal Pradesh ChiefMinister Pema Khandu on Friday announced that his governmentwill set up a memorial for Major Bob Khathing, an Army officerwho commanded a small team of soldiers to establish India'sadministrative control in Tawang bordering China in 1951.

Khandu said that the foundation stone of the memorialwill be laid at Tawang on February 14, the day when MajKhathing was believed to have hoisted the Indian Tricolourthere for the first time 70 years ago.

The site of the memorial for the Army officer, whohailed from Manipur, will be selected by the Tawang districtadministration, he said.

''Not many of us are aware of Maj Khathing and hiscontribution to Arunachal Pradesh. Once the memorial is built,visitors will come to know about him while having a glimpse ofMonpa life,'' he said.

The memorial at Tawang will also house a museum oflocal Monpa tribe and a cafeteria.

Tawang, famous for one of the largest monasteries ofTibetan Buddism, became part of British India after thesigning of the Simla Convention in 1914 by Great Britain,China and Tibet. However, the then government could not bringthe area under its administrative control for various reasons,official sources said.

Maj Khathing, a decorated officer who fought the WorldWar II, was inducted as an assistant political officer inNovember 1950 in Tirap division of North-East Frontier Agency(NEFA), which later became Arunachal Pradesh.

Sources said that following an instruction from thegovernment, Maj Khathing and a team of soldiers from AssamRifles embarked on an arduous journey from Charduar on January17, 1951, and after negotiating inhospitable terrain in sub-zero temperature, reached Tawang on February 6.

After holding interactions with local village heads,he established Indian authority in that area which was under aloose Tibetan administration at that time, they said.

A British Army officer, after finding it difficult topronounce his name, 'Relengnao', decided to call him 'Bob',and he came to be known by this name, sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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