India and China on Wednesday sparred over Beijing “renaming" 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, with New Delhi calling the move “vain and preposterous”.
"We have noticed that China has persisted with its vain and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Consistent with our principled position, we reject such attempts categorically. Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to questions on Beijing’s move.
The 27 locations include 15 mountains, four passes, two rivers, a lake and five inhabited areas.
China shot back at India, claiming “sovereign rights” to change names.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stuck to his guns at the briefing when asked for a response to India’s opposition to the “renaming”.
“Zangnan is part of China’s territory. The Chinese government has standardised the names of some parts of Zangnan. This is within China’s sovereign rights,” Lin said.
China has been calling Arunachal Pradesh “Zangnan (southern Tibet)” since 2003.
Against the backdrop of Beijing “renaming” Arunachal Pradesh locations for all official references henceforth, the X account handles of media outlets Global Times and Xinhua on Wednesday showed that they had been withheld in India in response to a legal request.
China announced the “renaming” of 27 locations on a day the Pema Khandu-led Arunachal cabinet held its first meeting at Kibithu, the last outpost along the India-China (Tibet) border in Anjaw district, and took several decisions for the accelerated development of the frontier state.
Before the cabinet meeting, Khandu led a Tiranga Yatra at Walong in Anjaw district, about 22km from Kibithu, to celebrate the success of Operation Sindoor that saw Pakistan use Chinese-made weapons against India.
Khandu, along with his cabinet colleagues, also unveiled a statue of Swami Vivekananda at Kaho, the easternmost village of India located near the China and Myanmar border. On the Tiranga Yatra, Khandu posted on X: “Ahead of the historic cabinet Aapke Dwar, I led the Tiranga Yatra at Walong with my cabinet colleagues, local leaders, army personnel, and the spirited local public. The patriotic fervour at this easternmost frontier rekindled our love for the nation and strengthened our collective resolve to stand in unwavering support of our brave defence forces.”
The Chinese ministry of civil affairs has been “renaming” places inside Arunachal Pradesh in batches since 2017. The largest batch of “name changes” was announced in March 2024, when 30 places were “renamed” as part of a long-term plan to assert control over the area that India considers its integral part.
This is the fifth time China has “renamed” places in Arunachal Pradesh, the move coming at a time when efforts are on to mend the bilateral relationship. China’s maiden move to “change names” in Arunachal Pradesh came just ahead of the Doklam crisis in 2017, and the subsequent three “name changes” were announced during the standoff over the Galwan clash.
FIR against jawan
Jammu and Kashmir police on Wednesday lodged an FIR against Dlhair Mushtaq Sofi, an army jawan who had claimed that the Pahalgam attack was an inside job.
A police spokesman said they converted a missing person’s report on Sofi, who works in 29 Rashtriya Rifles, lodged on March 11 into an FIR “after a video showing him on social media”.
Sofi is a resident of Tral in south Kashmir. His video blaming the army for staging the Pahalgam attack has been used by Pakistani handles for propaganda.