On Friday, the Congress strongly criticized Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of failing to safeguard Indian shepherds in Ladakh who allegedly faced harassment from the Chinese army.
The criticism came in response to a video circulating on social media, purportedly depicting Chinese soldiers obstructing Indian graziers’ access to a pasture in the Chushul sector, leading to a tense confrontation.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh asserted that border management falls under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, placing the responsibility squarely on the home ministry to ensure that Indian graziers can exercise their rights as citizens within Indian territory. Ramesh posed several questions to Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding answers.
Ramesh articulated the questions as follows:
- “How many instances have there been since May 2020 of our graziers being harassed or pushed back by Chinese border guards?”
- “Have our graziers suffered any injuries or material losses in these encounters?”
- “Has there been any effort to protect them from Chinese harassment, or are they forced to defend themselves with no support from the ITBP, as it appeared in the video?”