Kongka Pass


The Kongka Pass or Kongka La is a high mountain pass of the Chang-Chemno Range on the Line of Actual Control between India and China. China considers the Kongka Pass as its boundary with India, whereas India regards Lanak Pass further east as the boundary. The pass was the location of the Kongka Pass incident, a military skirmish between Chinese and Indian patrol officers in 1959.

History

In the late 1800s, the pass was referred to as Salmu Kongka and described as a "small pass".
Colonial-era British sources state that the traditional boundary between Ladakh and Tibet accepted by both sides was at Lanak La, but modern scholars such as Larry Wortzel and Allen S. Whiting consider Kongka Pass to be the traditional border.

Kongka Pass incident

In October 1959, Indian troops crossed the Kongka Pass while attempting to establish posts at Tsogstsalu, Hot Springs, and Shamal Lungpa. The Line of Actual Control arising from the 1962 war puts Tsogstsalu and Hot Springs on the Indian side and Shamal Lungpa on the Chinese side.
On 20 October, an initial Indian reconnaissance team was captured by the Chinese forces. On 21 October, with signs of Chinese presence becoming available, a larger search party was formed for the missing reconnaissance team. They encountered Chinese soldiers at a hill near the Kongka Pass, and a firefight ensued. Chinese forces had a more favourable position in this engagement. Of the 70 Indian soldiers, nine were killed during the engagement, one died later of his injuries, and seven were taken prisoner. One Chinese soldier was killed in the engagement.
Indian media described the event a "brutal massacre of an Indian policy party." The incident contributed to the heightening of tensions that led to the Sino-Indian War in 1962.

Modern border posts

The Indian border post is located to the west at Hot Springs. The Chinese border outpost is located a few kilometers to the east at the elevation of.