Arunachal Govt To Memorialize Army Officer Who Won Tawang

Arunachal govt to memorialize army officer who won Tawang for India. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Friday that his govt is going to build a memorial in memory of Major Bob Keithing of the army who established administrative control of India with a small squadron of soldiers in Tawang, bordering China in 1951.

Khandu said that the foundation stone for the memorial will be laid on 14 February in Tawang. It is believed that on February 14, Major Keithing hoisted the Indian tricolor there 70 years ago. He said that the Tawang district administration will select the location for the memorial of an army officer who belongs to Manipur.

The Chief Minister of Arunachal said, ‘Many of us are not aware of Major Keithing and his contribution for Arunachal Pradesh. Once the memorial is built, visitors will get information about them and they will also be able to know about Monpa.

There will be a memorial in Tawang as well as a museum of local Monpa tribals. Britain signed the Simla treaty with China Sources said that Britain had signed the Simla Treaty with China and Tibet in 1914, after which this area came to British India.

However, the government at that time could not bring it under its administrative control due to various reasons. Major Kething, who fought in World War II, was appointed in November 1950 as an assistant political officer in the Tirap Mandal of the Northeast Frontier Agency (NEFA).

NEFA later became Arunachal Pradesh. Sources said that after getting instructions from the government, a squad of Major Kething and Assam Rifles started the journey from Chardour on 17 January 1951 and reached Tawang on 6 February. Then the temperature was below zero. He told that after talking to the local village chiefs, he established administrative control of India in the area.