6k personnel trained in Mandarin

NEW DELHI: After two military standoffs with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in recent years — first at the trijunction in Doklam in 2017, and then in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh in 2020 — the Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) has trained over 6,000 personnel, or 7% of its total strength, in Mandarin as a way to communicate with trespassing Chinese soldiers during border patrols.

People aware of the matter said ITBP now has 163 master trainers who have completed long-term courses (one year and above) in Mandarin at various institutes, including Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Foreign Languages, Tezpur University, and Sanchi University.

“These master trainers are giving basic Chinese language introductory lessons to the trainees in various units and battalions. The current training is enough for troops to effectively communicate with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops and put across their point when they come face-toface during patrolling,” said an ITBP officer who asked not to be named.

“We have so far trained over 6,000 personnel in Chinese languages, primarily Mandarin, and we aim to train the entire force in next two to three years,” the officer added.

The paramilitary force, raised after the 1962 Indo-China war and whose troops are called ‘Himveers’, guards the border from Jammu & Kashmir to Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh through 180 Border outposts (BoPs).

It currently has a strength of 84,233 personnel, but the government plans to induct about 10,000 more personnel for 47 additional BOPs and 12 ITBP staging camps along the LAC. This plan has already been approved by the government.

Since the border is not fully demarcated, and both sides have different perceptions of the LAC, PLA troops often transgress into Indian territory, and ITBP patrols have often found it difficult to communicate with them.