India Dismiss Reports of China having Used “Microwave Weapons” to Dislodge Indian Army from Dominating Heights in Ladakh

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Nov 18: India has rubbished a UK-based newspaper reports quoting sources in China that People’s Liberation Army had used “microwave weapons” to force Indian army vacate the two strategic hilltops in eastern Ladakh borders and was re-taken by China.

The Indian Army on Wednesday in a tweet said, the media reports about “employment of microwave weapons in Eastern Ladakh are baseless. The news is FAKE.”

A report published in a UK daily had claimed that Chinese forces had turned two strategic hilltops occupied by Indian soldiers “into a microwave oven”, forcing them to retreat and allowing the positions to be retaken without an exchange of conventional fire. The report was based on a claim by a professor of international relations in a university in Beijing who said the “microwave weapons” were deployed in late August when Indian troops “surprised” China by occupying the dominating heights on the south bank of Pangong Tso. “Within 15 minutes of the weapons being deployed, those occupying the hilltops all began to vomit. They couldn’t stand up, so they fled. This was how we retook the ground,” the professor claimed to have said during a lecture.

According to experts, microwave weapons are electromagnetic weapons and are called so because they have a similar effect like an oven. The weapon works by heating the water molecules under the skin, in the same way as the kitchen appliance, to painful temperatures, forcing people out of the area. The weapon, also used for crowd control, can be used to target up to 0.6 miles away.

Official sources said China had first put on display its microwave weapon, called Poly WB-1, at an air show in 2014. Besides China, the United States has also developed microwave-style weapons, called the Active Denial System. The Pentagon has touted it as “the first non-lethal, directed-energy, counter-personnel system with an extended range greater than currently fielded non-lethal weapons”.

India’s insistence on status quo ante — of troops returning to their April locations — and China’s reluctance to disengage, especially on the Pangong north bank, has had the two sides deploying thousands of troops, tanks, artillery and air assets in the region. After the recent Corps Commander-level talks in Chushul on November 6, China has proposed moving its troops back to Finger 8, and return of troops by the two sides to their original locations on the south bank of the lake. The proposal also includes moving back tanks and artillery to the depth areas on either side to reduce chances of any incident in a region.

However, pending the final act of withdrawal, even as the temperature started to dip substantially in the Ladakh sector in the winter months, the Indian army has completed the setting up of modern habitats for thousands of soldiers deployed in forward areas to deal with any misadventure by the PLA, official sources said..

Temperatures in some places held by the Indian Army can dip to minus 40 degrees Celsius, with the super high-altitude areas also likely to receive several feet of snow (30 to 40 feet) during the peak of winters.

“Apart from smart camps with integrated facilities which have been built over the years, additional state-of-the-art habitat with arrangements for electricity, water, heating facilities, health and hygiene has been created to accommodate frontline troops. The troops are not lacking anything and prepared to take on any challenge,” said an army official.

As both the armies are set to be preparing for a long haul in the Ladakh theatre in case the deadlock is not resolved, the sources said “Troops in the front line have been accommodated in heated tents as per tactical considerations of their deployment… Adequate civil infrastructure has also been identified to cater for any emergency.”

India has made vigorous attempts to provide logistics support to its forward deployed soldiers, including the supply of specialised winter clothing from the United States. India has imported more than 15,000 sets of extended cold weather clothing system (ECWCS) from the US, with the emergency supply made by activating the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Association (LEMOA). India signed the LEMOA, the first of the three foundational agreements proposed by Washington to deepen bilateral military cooperation, with the US in August 2016.

The army released a video showing the habitat facilities created on the border for the forward troops. Some rooms have single beds, while living rooms has bunk beds.

The Army said apart from smart camps with integrated facilities that have been built over the years, additional state-of-the-art habitats with integrated arrangements for electricity, water, heating facilities, health and hygiene have been recently created to accommodate the troops.

“In order to ensure operational efficiency of troops deployed in winters, Indian Army has completed establishment of habitat facilities for all troops deployed in the sector,” the Army said. India and China are locked in a military standoff since early May in eastern Ladakh.

Media reports said the Army was procuring Russian tents to tackle the winter conditions. A source said the ordinance factory in Kanpur had been approached to procure these tents. China has constructed semi-permanent structures at Pangong and at other friction points of LAC. Officials explained that the lockdown meant some of the contractors who could have helped Indian army build pre-fabricated structures to house troops, were not available. The Russian tents which can withstand Siberia-like cold were found to be the quickest and most effective alternative.

ITBP jawans, who understand the weather and living conditions better because of long deployment, have also decided to rely on ‘shakkarpara’ as the super food. ‘Shakkarpara’ is a north Indian snack where wheat flour dough is deep fried and dunked in sugar syrup.

“The wheat in it is filling, the sugar gives you energy. It is easy to make and carry,” a deployed jawan explained on this unusual choice. The troop headquarters in Delhi also confirmed that batches of ‘shakkarpara’ were being prepared and sent to forward posts.

Water supply is the other bigger worry on the heights which Indian soldiers have occupied. In some forward posts, piped water from ground source has been arranged. Locals in Chushul have helped Indian army ferry water in some other locations, officials said.