Second batch of 15 police officers from Arunachal to be trained in Mandarin

The Union government will impart training to a second batch of 15 police officers from Arunachal Pradesh in Mandarin and discuss case studies on transgression by the Chinese army in border areas including the recent clash with the Indian Army in Tawang, said officials.

The two-week course on modern policing will start on April 10 at the home ministry-affiliated Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. These officers are posted in different places in Arunachal including Itanagar, Pasighat, Tawang and Papum Pare, said the officials. The first batch had received similar training in September 2021.

Speaking to ET, RRU outreach officer Kumar Sabhaysachi said: "The trainers are faculty of RRU who are ex-service personnel, native speakers of the Mandarin language. Topics such as basics of Mandarin, border management and cross-border infiltration, case studies on Chinese soldiers' transgression in Arunachal, strategies and challenges in insurgency in the Northeast will be discussed."


The programme will benefit not only the police, but the state as well, considering experts from the RRU will also discuss emerging issues in Arunachal, said Dharati Dholariya, dean, Directorate of Professional Development and Training at RRU.

China recently renamed 11 places in Arunachal: two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers. There have been several instances of standoff and faceoff between the patrolling units of India and China. The training will help the forces in intelligence gathering and upgrade the state police to establish better communication with their Chinese counterparts, officials said.

In 2020, military standoffs and skirmishes between the Chinese and Indian forces were reported at various locations along the borders, including the Pangong Lake and Galwan in Ladakh. As many as 20 soldiers including a Colonel were killed in the violent clashes in Ladakh. Indian and Chinese forces have recently completed the disengagement process, but disputes remain, with China's People's Liberation Army continuing to block India's access to traditional patrolling areas along the LAC at the Depsang Plains and Charding Nala.