Shillong:
Arunchal Pradesh teenager Miram Taron, who was “abducted” by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) along the Indo-China border on January 18, reunited with his family after 14 days, on January 31.
Taron, was accorded a grand reception by the Tuting (Zido) villagers as the Indian Army handed him over to his family in presence of the local leaders and Upper Siang District Additional Deputy Commissioner Starlie Jamoh.
The handover of the youth comes as a big relief for the family, who had vested their hopes on the Indian Army to bring the youth back from China and had sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention into the matter.
Tapir Gao, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from the Arunachal East Parliamentary constituency, who, on January 19, had first informed that Taron had gone missing, on Monday, tweeted, “Shri Miram Taron, who was abducted by PLA was given a warm welcome back to Tuting (Zido) by Shri Starlie Jamoh, ADC, ZPM Shri Pema Lepsie, Panchayat leaders & public of Tuting and the Indian Army today (sic).”
A resident of Jido Village in Upper Siang District, Taron, aged 17 years, had trespassed into the Chinese territory while hunting and was “abducted” by the PLA thereafter.
Taking cognizance of the matter, the Arunachal Pradesh government and Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju approached the Centre and the Indian Army to get back Taron from across the border.
The Indian Army immediately approached the PLA on hotline to trace and secure the safe return of the boy and shared the identity details with the PLA.
On January 27, the PLA handed over Taron to the Indian Army at Damai Border Personnel Meeting Point and the Indian Army took him after completing all the formalities including Covid protocols.
Taron’s case is not the first instance when the PLA had abducted individuals on grounds of trespassing international border. In September 2020, the PLA had reportedly kidnapped five boys from Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district before releasing them after about a week.