Two Arunachal Pradesh men missing for 2 years; last sighted along China border

NEW DELHI: Two men from Arunachal Pradesh, Batelum Tikro (35) and his cousin Bainsi Manyu (37), have been missing for nearly two years from a remote location along the India-China border. It is believed they are in the custody of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), which has yet to acknowledge their presence. The duo disappeared on August 19, 2022, from the Chaglagam area in Anjaw district while collecting medicinal herbs, and despite efforts, there has been no trace of them.
"I have come to know that they were detained by the Chinese army," said Tikro's brother, Dishanso Chikro.
Though Chikro has approached the local army authorities numerous times for information about his brothers, he has received no response. "I am told that the issue was raised by the Indian Army with their Chinese counterparts. But no response has come so far," he added.
Anjaw MLA and State's Women and Child Development Minister, Dasanglu Pul, confirmed the circumstances of the duo's disappearance.
"The Chinese side has not yet acknowledged that the youths are in their custody. But I am told that they are still alive," she told over the phone.
Following their disappearance, Chikro lodged two missing persons complaints at Hayuliang police station on October 9, 2022. The complaints indicated that "some fellow villagers might have last seen them at border areas on August 24, 2022," but since then, there have been no indications of their whereabouts. Tikro is unmarried, while Manyu is married with two young children.
According to their Aadhaar cards, Tikro belongs to Doiliang, and Manyu hails from Manyu Chiprogam in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Anjaw district Zila Parishad Chairman, Soblem Pul, mentioned that the local Army authorities have raised the issue in flag meetings with the Chinese Army.
"I have no idea what was the response of the Chinese side at the flag meetings. The parents of the men keep telling us to do something. But we are helpless so far. We hope that they will return home safe and soon," he told.
This incident, while serious, is not the first. Residents of Arunachal Pradesh have previously gone missing or been detained by China's PLA, but most cases resolve within days or weeks. This is the first instance where two individuals have been missing for almost two years without any updates.
In September 2020, the PLA allegedly abducted five youths from Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Subansiri district but released them about a week later. Similarly, on January 18, 2022, Miram Taron, a teenage boy, was reportedly taken by Chinese forces from Upper Siang district and handed back nine days later.
The latest incident of the missing cousins underscores the ongoing stand-off between the Indian Army and the PLA in eastern Ladakh, which has continued since April 2020. India shares a 3,400 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, stretching from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
India consistently rejects China's territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of the country. China, referring to Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, often objects to visits by Indian leaders to the state and has named the area Zangnan.
New Delhi has also dismissed Beijing's move to assign “invented” names to the area, stating that it does not change the reality.