Chamoli disaster: China blames India for glacial outburst, shifts blame on Indian army

Chinese mouthpiece, Global Times has blamed Indian Army for the glacial outburst in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.

Chamoli, Uttarakhand Glacial Outburst 

The Chinese mouthpiece, Global Times has blamed Indian Army for the glacial outburst in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Refuting China’s role in the ecological disaster, a Chinese expert has argued that the main reason behind the disaster is the construction undertaken by Indian Army in the region, which has damaged the ecological environment in the region.

In what can be seen as a white-washing exercise and an attempt to shift the blame onto the Indian army, the Chinese have attempted to rubbish International Business Times, a US media outlet’s claim that the Chamoli disaster is a result of remotely controlled explosions conducted by China, with an aim to hit India’s infrastructure in the border areas.

The Chinese expert, named Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, has argued that China has not attempted to sabotage India’s nearby infrastructure. The glacial break, he claims, is the result of several military installations in the area by the Indian army. Hu has also remarked that the Indian government never reflects on its own destructive actions.

 It attempts to shift the blame onto China to avoid being held accountable by opposition parties and the people of the country.

Relief and rescue operations in the Chamoli district are currently underway. The Chamoli police, in its latest briefing, has shared that about 40 bodies have been recovered while 164 people are still missing. 

The police has further registered 29 missing complaints and DNA samples of 55 family members have been taken for assistance in identification.