Soldiers Versus Shepherds: Indian Shepherds Stand Up to Chinese Military

In a video that went viral, a few shepherds defend their right to graze in India’s border pastures, standing up to more than a dozen Chinese soldiers.

A herd of pashmina goats grazing in a valley in Changthang, in eastern Ladakh, on June 22, 2021. Venus Upadhayaya/Epoch Times

NEW DELHI—Indian shepherds in the trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh stood their ground against Chinese soldiers on Jan. 2 when People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers stopped the shepherds’ livestock from grazing in territory claimed by both countries.

The issue eventually led the Indian government to promise shepherds that a few soldiers would accompany them during the next grazing season in the region, according to local officials.