Depsang Plains – UPSC Prelims

Depsang is an enclave of flat terrain located in an area the Army classifies as Sub-Sector North (SSN), which provides land access to Central Asia through the Karakoram Pass.

It is a few km southeast of the important airstrip of Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO).

The Chinese army has blocked Indian patrols since 2020 at a place called Y-junction or Bottleneck.

A joint patrol of the ITBP and Army takes place at the areas near Y-Junction once a month.

The Y-junction is 18 km on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control, even though the Chinese claim line lies another 5 km further west, to the east of Burtse town.

But, Indian Army Chief has delinked Depsang issue with ongoing border issues with China.

Depsang plains are one of the most vulnerable regions for the Indian Army in Ladakh.

Sub-Sector North’s (SSN) flat terrain of Depsang, Trig Heights and DBO provides direct access to Aksai Chin.

The region is suited for mechanised warfare but is located at the end of one very long and tenuous communication axis for India.

China has multiple roads that provide easy access to the area.

This leaves SSN highly vulnerable to capture by the PLA, with thousands of km at stake.

SSN lies to the east of Siachen, located between the Saltoro ridge on the Pakistani border and the Saser ridge close to the Chinese border.

Technically, it is the only place for a physical military collusion between Pakistan and China and poses the challenges of a two-front war.

If India loses this area, it will be difficult to launch military operations in the Gilgit-Baltistan region to counter Pakistan.

Depsang is also seen as a launchpad for a military offensive by India in Aksai Chin.

The danger of delinking Depsang from the current border crisis is of certifying the Chinese argument, which overrules the Indian claim over the territory.

In low populated areas like Ladakh, with limited forward deployments, regular patrolling is the only assertion of territorial claims.

By arguing that the blockade at Y-junction precedes the current stand-off and that goes back years, the Chinese can affirm that Indian patrols never happened in this area and thus India has no valid claim on the territory.

With the disadvantage of being a lesser power compared to China, the argument further weakens India in negotiations.

As demonstrated by China post the 1962 War, there should be no holding back in asserting one’s claims when it comes to safeguarding the territory.

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