Express News Service
GUWAHATI: The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has handed over Arunachal Pradesh boy Miram Taron to the Indian Army, nine days after he had gone missing from the fuzzy India-China border.
“The Chinese PLA has handed over the young boy from Arunachal Pradesh Shri Miram Taron to Indian Army. Due procedures are being followed including the medical examination,” Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted.
The Army had on Thursday morning sent a vehicle to bring the boy’s parents to Tuting from their Zido village in Upper Siang district. His mother had taken ill and was going through hypertension ever since his disappearance.
The father, Opang, said he and his wife had a video conference with the boy from the Army camp.
Miram and his friend, Jhonny Yaying, had ventured deep into a forest near the international border on January 18 to hunt wild animals and collect medicinal herbs. The site is around 35-40 km away from their village.
While Miram was allegedly taken into custody by the Chinese soldiers, Jhonny had managed to flee. He reached Tuting, the nearest circle headquarters, the next day and informed the villagers and the authorities of the incident.
As news about the incident spread, the Indian Army had contacted the PLA through hotline and sought assistance “to locate and return the boy as per protocol”.
As asked, the Indian Army subsequently shared the personal details, including photograph and Aadhaar card, of the boy with its Chinese counterpart.
Opang said he was at Tuting on January 17 when his son had set out for the forest.
“We have a puja in mid-February where, as per a customary practice, my sisters would offer rice cakes and local brew to me and I would give them dry meat. As the meat needs to be dried up before being gifted, Miram had gone out early for the traditional hunting,” Opang had told earlier.
