Get back land China has occupied: Rahul to PM

New Delhi: After the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) handed over the missing 19-year-old Arunachal Boy, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday questioned the government on the "illegal" occupation of Indian territory by China. Taking to twitter on Hindi, Rahul Gandhi said: "Am relieved that China has returned Miram Taron, but when will we get our occupied land from China Mr Prime Minister?"

Upping its ante against the Chinese occupation at LAC and northeast, the grand-old-party had earlier alleged that China has built villages inside Indian territory.

The party had said the new satellite images on Chinese military development, show purported construction of Chinese villages in Bhutanese territory over the last year, multiple new villages are seen spreading through an area roughly 100 square km (25,000 acres). The villages were constructed between May 2020 and November 2021.

These new villages lie near the Doklam plateau where India and China had a face-off in 2017, after which China bypassed Indian defences to resume road construction activity in the region, it said. New construction on Bhutanese soil, the party said, is particularly worrying for India since India has historically advised Bhutan on its external relations policy and continues to train its armed forces.

The Chinese PLA handed over Taron at Damai, Border Personnel Meeting Point, in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday.

A resident of Jido Village in Upper Siang District, Taron, had gone missing while hunting since January 18 from Shiyung La in Bishing Area in Indian territory. According to a statement, the Indian Army immediately approached the PLA on a hotline to trace and secure the safe return of the boy and shared the identity details of Miram with the PLA.