History: Sino - Indian War of 1962: How it started and what all happened during the war

Sino- Indian war of 1962, also known as Sino- Indian Border Conflict

Do you know that it was not only the Mughals and the British who invaded India? China, India's neighbouring country in the north, who India never thought will launch an attack on India, attacked India on October 20 1962. This belief did not let the Indian army to prepare and the result was 10,000-20,000 Indian troops against 80,000 Chinese troops.

A disputed Himalayan border was the main pretext for war, but other issues played a role. There had been a series of violent border incidents after the 1959 Tibetan uprising, when India had granted asylum to the Dalai Lama. India initiated a Forward Policy in which it placed outposts along the border, including several north of McMahon line, the eastern portion of Actual Control proclaimed by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1959.

Let me take you through the timeline of the starting of the war and all that happened during the war.

How did it start?

• With the independence of the Republic of India and the formation of the People's Republic of China(PRC) in 1949, one of the policies for the Indian Government was that of maintaining cordial relations with China.
• India was one of the first countries to give China its diplomatic recognition to receive its relations with the country.
• When China announced that it would be occupying Tibet. India sent a letter of protest proposing negotiations on the Tibet issue.
• China was even more active in deploying troops on the Aksai Chin border than any other Indian republic was.
• By 1951, China had extended numerous posts in Aksai Chin while the Indian government was more occupied with stopping Ladakh from being taken by Pakistani troops.
• India was so concerned with about its relation with China that it did not even attend a conference for the conclusion of a peace treaty with Japan because China was not invited. India even strove to become China's representative in matters related to world since China had been isolated from many issues.
• In 1954, the China and India concluded the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence under which India acknowledged Chinese rule in Tibet. It was at this time when former Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru promoted the slogan 'Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai'.
•  In July 1954, Nehru wrote a memo directing that the maps of India be revised to show definite boundaries on all frontiers but was outraged that Chinese maps showed 120,000 square kilometers of Indian Territory as Chinese. To which Zhou Enlai, the first Premier of People's Republic of China responded that there were errors in the maps.
• Top People's Republic of China leader Mao Zedong was humiliated by the reception the Dalai Lama obtained in India when he fled there in March 1959.
• Tensions increased between the two nations when Mao stated that the Lhasa rebillion in Tibet was caused by Indians.
• China's perception of India as a threat to its rule of Tibet became one of the most prominent reasons for Sino- Indian War.
• Various conflicts and military incidents between India and China flared up throughout the summer of 1962.
• On May 7, 1962 Chinese troops shot down an Indian Dakota plane.
• On July 10, 1962, 350 Chinese troops surrounded an Indian post at Chushul and used loudspeakers to convince the Gurkhas that they should not be fighting for India.
• In October 1959, India realized that it was not ready for war after a clash between the two armies at Kongka Pass in which 9 Indian policemen were killed, the country assumed responsibility for the border and pulled back petrols from dispute areas.
• On October 16, General Lei Yingfu reported on Indian expansionism on the Thag La Ridge. On October 18, the Chinese government approved the plan of a counterattack against India because of its actions in Tibet.

                                

Facts on the War:

• On October 20,1962, China's People's Liberation Army invaded India in Ladakh, and in the east across the McMahon Line in the then North-East Frontier Agency.
• On the first day, the Chinese infantry also launched an attack from the rear.
• Till the start of the war, the Indian side was confident that war would not be started and made little preparations. Thinking this, India had deployed only two divisions of troops in the region of the conflict while the Chinese troops had three regiments positioned.
• The Chinese also cut the Indian telephone lines, preventing the defenders from making contact with their headquarters.
• The continued losses forced the Indian troops to escape into Bhutan.
• On October 22, the Chinese lighted a bush which caused much confusions amongst the Indians. Some 400 Chinese troops attacked the Indian position. The initial Chinese assault was stopped by accurate Indian morar fire.
• When the Indian army discovered that a Chinese force gathered in a pass, it opened fire with mortars and machine guns and killed about 200 Chinese soldiers.
• On October 26, a patrol from the 4th Sikhs was enriched, and after they were unable to break the encirclement, an Indian unit sneaked in and attacked the Chinese army, and freed the Sikhs.
• According to the China's official military history, the war achieved China's policy objectives of securing borders in its western sector.
• According to an analyst from the U.S. Navy, India gained many benefits from the 1962 conflict. India got 32,000 square miles of disputed territory and also that India recognized the serious weaknesses in its army.

President Radhakrishnan visiting Indian Army units during the 1962 India-China War