INDIA CHINA WAR OF 1962

Before the 1962 war, Nehru felt a closeness to China. While China was fighting the Japanese aggression, India was fighting the English for independence. He mobilized public opinion and also sent material and medical aid to China which was praised by Chou En Lai. After China got her freedom in 1949, Nehru worked hard to get her admitted into the UN.

The India China war was a particularly avoidable one. After Chinas annexation of Tibet which caused much resentment in India, the two countries had a 3500 Km border. In the East it adjoined NEFA now Arunachal Pradesh, there was no dispute in the middle sector, but again there was a dispute in the West in the Aksai Chin area. However, the Chinese annexation of Tibet blew over due to Nehru’s consistent support to China and his stand on the Korean war. India then signed an agreement with China in 1954 which put forth the concept of Panchsheel, the 5 principles of co-existence.

However, the effect of this agreement got nullified on account of the uprising in Tibet in 1959 when China ruthlessly suppressed it and Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans ran away to India. There was widespread support to the Tibetan people in India. This and as India sheltered Dalai Lama angered China.

The problem with the Johnsons line that demarcated the areas in Aksai Chin is that it was not ratified by China and the English drew it up unilaterally. China was never a signatory to that, nor was it consulted on that. The Mc Mahon line in Arunachal Pradesh was also drawn by the British. China first initialled the demarcation but refused to sign the agreement later.

Right from the beginning the stand of Nehru had been that the borders of India were inviolable and non-negotiable. In fact on the Mc Mahon Line, Mc Mahon himself observed that the map showing the boundaries of Tibet as a whole is in far too small a scale to show such boundaries in detail. So, ultimately it was the English that foisted this dispute on us by doing such imprecise work. On top of that no ratification from China had been obtained regarding the line.  

Between 1956 & 57 3000 Chinese workers and soldiers were engaged in building a road across mountains and India was totally unaware of that road until the Indian ambassador in China read about it in a Chinese magazine.

While Nehru did not consult his cabinet on vital national issues, he had the habit of taking live hot issues to the Parliament, and once the public opinion was aroused on the issue the Government had little option left but to follow it.

At the last minute Nehru invited Chou En Lai to talks in India to try and sort out the issue. However, the news of invitation got leaked and there was an uproar in the Parliament, leaving no option for Nehru to negotiate anything.

Nehru always had a doubt about China, and said in 1954 that the two nations may have a conflict in future sometime. However, he formulated no policy to counter such a threat.

In Sep 1962 Nehru left India to attend a routine PM’s conference and Krishna Menon who was then Defence Minister left for the UN on another inconsequential conference. Shooting incidents on the border started in September, yet Nehru left of Colombo again on 12^th October to inaugurate an Ayurvedic Research Centre. At that time BM Kaul Chief of Staff has proceeded on leave and the Director of Military Intelligence was sent for a cruise on the Vikrant. The full scale Chinese attack commenced on 20^th October. India had no preparations to counter the attack. No command was created, and there were no supplies or weapons either. The army did not even have winter clothing and shoes. Even the rations were inadequate.

Normally army would be rearing to go and the civilian administration has to check it. In this case the army all along advised to avoid confrontation. Army HQ warned that it is very risky to undertake forward patrolling as indicated by the Government. The Chiefs of staff had already warned Nehru that if the acts they are doing led to a full scale war, they said it is beyond the Indian army to hold out for more than a short period. They were inferior in men, arms and also logistics. The Western command warned Delhi that political direction is not being based on military means. General Daulat Singh of the Western Command wrote to army HQ that “Militarily, we are no position to defend what we possess, leave alone force a showdown”.

A week before the Chinese attack, while leaving for Colombo at the Delhi airport Nehru stated “ Our instructions are to free our country. I cannot fix the date, that is entirely for the army”. This was nothing but an open ultimatum to China. A week later the Chinese army launched a massive attack overrunning the Indian posts in the Eastern sector. The outcome was a complete rout of Indian forces all along the line. In the Western sector the position was no better. They captured 13 Indian posts in the Galwan valley and by the beginning of November almost reached the Chushul airstrip.

Then on 19^th November 1959 the Chinese unilaterally made a ceasefire and withdrew 20 Km behind the line of actual control in 1959 in the Western sector. In the Eastern sector they offered to withdraw 20 Km North of the Mc Mahon line.

The Chinese did not betray us on the borders; actually it is the Indian Government that bungled it handsomely. Repeated pleas from army top brass regarding unpreparedness was totally ignored. Defence Minister Krishna Menon made a mess of things making things untenable. Upright Generals like SD Verma, Daulat Singh and Umrao Singh who dared question the wisdom of the Governments decisions were humiliated, removed and victimized.

Nehru proved himself utterly incompetent in this war, while his Defence Minister Krishna Menon was an even bigger bungler lacking in policy and operating through coteries.

In foreign relations Nehru ruled supreme and his judgment in International matters was never questioned. Despite having inspired many leaders of the 3^rd world in fighting against colonialism, Nehru found himself friendless when attacked by China. Not a single nonaligned country supported him against China.

Probably, it was this major failure that led to deterioration of Nehru’s health and finally to his death in 1964.