The Guns Of Kyapho & PTSO

The Guns Of Kyapho & Ptso. In a documentary series, ‘Along The China Front: Commanding The Tawang Heights’, Part IV, we travel from Tawang to the Kyapho model border post along the Tibet border. We also document the Pankang Teng Tso or PTSO Lake area. In addition, we get a glimpse of the Indian Army’s artillery firepower at these altitudes. In this series, a StratNews Global team of Amitabh P. Revi and Rohit Pandita documents the criticality in India dominating the heights. And the game-changing role of artillery at these altitudes.

As Lt Gen Sanjay Kulkarni (Retd), the Former DG, Infantry and, Ex-Brigade Commander, Tawang Sector, makes clear, “holding posts at heights (is an) absolute necessity. Additionally he adds,” the Chinese get the correct message that they don’t mess around with the Indians.” Brig S.K. Chatterji (Retd), a former Battery Commander of India’s first ever Bofors Unit, which was deployed in the Tawang Sector after the Sumdurong Chu incursion says, “the guy on the top has a tremendous advantage”. Furthermore, the Editor of BharatShakti adds “without artillery fire being really intense, you cannot possibly put your bet on trying to win the battle. It’s the decisive factor.”

The Guns Of Kyapho & Ptso. Kyapho in the vernacular is a combination of two words- Kya, meaning deer, and Pho meaning cave. India first occupied Kyapho in October 1986. This was during the Sumdurong Chu standoff initiated by a Chinese incursion. The then Chief of Army Staff, General K Sundarji, in response, ordered Operation Falcon. Markedly, he airlifted troops and heavy equipment to Zemithang. Since then, Indian troops on multiple heights are on strategically higher ground.

The Kyapho model border post was inaugurated in October 2022. At this time, it has a surveillance tower, cook house with dining hall, water supply as well as solar and wind converters. It also has an 80-man living shelter and state-of-the-art phone connectivity.

This episode premiered on June 30, 2023, and hit 200,000+ views on March 15, 2024. Watch another episode: Yangtse: How India Beat Back PLA Incursions & Where The Army Looks Down On Chinese Positions.

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