Meet Raj Bahadur aka Wang Qi, Who Has Been Asked By Chinese Govt To Prove He Was Part Of 1962 War

Wang Qi, also known as Raj Bahadur, was born in China and served as a soldier during the 1962 war. Afterward, he got married and settled in Madhya Pradesh, and became a caring father and grandfather. However, his identity is now being questioned as China doubts his participation in the 1962 war.

Wang Qi crossed border into India during 1962 war

Wang, who will celebrate his 85th birthday on May 2 this year, was captured by the Indian Army for entering Arunachal Pradesh on January 3, 1963.

He claims he was working as a mechanical survey engineer for China¡¯s People's Liberation Army (PLA) and accidentally crossed the border. Since the 1962 war had ended, he was treated as a spy rather than being recognised as a prisoner of war (POW).

Wang spent eight years in prison. Upon his release, he adopted the Indian name Raj Bahadur and settled in Tirodi village in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh. He got married, had children, but always longed to return home.

Wanq Qi with his wife/ BCCL

54 years later, Wanq Qi visited China

After years of struggle, Wang and his family finally visited China in February 2017, receiving a warm welcome in Xiaozhainan, where his elder brother resides. His homecoming was extensively covered by the Chinese media. He returned to India after spending three months there.

Now, in a surprising turn of events, the Chinese embassy has asked him to provide evidence of his participation in the 1962 war and military enlistment.

1961 war/ Wikipedia

China asks Wanq to prove participation in war

Wang¡¯s son told TOI, ¡°This has never happened before. My father wrote to the embassy for his pensions and other benefits that were due from the Chinese govt but in return they asked him to prove that he participated in the war and was enlisted in the army.¡±

SCMP

Vishnu mentions that his father has already submitted all the records, such as ID cards, photographs, and documents from Indian courts, as evidence of his arrest.

He had been anticipating retirement benefits from the PLA, but they are currently on hold due to his official declaration as "dead" in records, according to sources.

To rectify his record, the PLA initiated an inquiry into his "disappearance from duty" in January 1963 and the circumstances surrounding his declared death, as per sources.

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