Major Ralengnao Bob Khathing was a Naga from Manipur
Major Ralengnao Bob Khathing, who was instrumental in bringing Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh under the Indian Union, will be honoured for the first time tomorrow in Tawang in the presence of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, two chief ministers, a central minister and a governor.
As an assistant political officer of the erstwhile North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) and present-day Arunachal Pradesh, Major Khathing had carried out an audacious operation to bring Tawang under the Indian Union in the early 1950s under the direct supervision of the then Assam governor Jairamdas Daulatram.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brigadier (Retd) BD Mishra and General Rawat arrived in Tawang this afternoon to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony of Major Ralengnao Bob Khathing Memorial at the Kalawangpo auditorium.
"Major Khathing was one of the most significant heroes of India whose immense contribution cannot be forgotten. A due recognition will be given to Major Bob Khathing, who was so far neglected," Kiren Rijiju told news agency PTI.
Major Khathing's son John, a retired IRS officer, and other family members will also be present at the function.
Major Bob Khathing, who was a Naga from Manipur, was given orders by Jairamdas Daulatram to march towards Tawang with 200 soldiers of Assam Rifles and 600 porters on January 17, 1951.
Before World War II, Tawang was under the administrative control of the then independent Tibetan government.
Despite several attempts, the British could not annex it.
According to historical accounts of the NEFA, when Major Bob Khathing and his men arrived in Tawang, he called a meeting on a high-ground near the Tawang Monastery for meeting local tax officials, village elders and prominent people of Tawang.
He used diplomatic skills to win over the locals. He soon realised that the local Monpa community was struggling under the harsh taxes imposed by the Tibetan administration.
He told the local people about India, its democracy and assured them that India will never impose unjustified tax on them.
Soon, with the Assam Rifles men, he took control of Tawang, hoisting the tricolour in Tawang and Bumla and bringing it under India.
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