The Congress on Friday castigated Union home minister Amit Shah for allegedly failing to protect Indian shepherds in Ladakh from harassment by the Chinese army.

A video circulated on social media purportedly shows Chinese soldiers blocking Indian graziers’ access to a pasture in the Chushul sector, setting off a heated exchange.

“...Border management comes under the ministry of home affairs,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said. “It is the responsibility of the home ministry to ensure that Indian graziers are able to exercise their rights as citizens inside Indian territory. We demand answers to some questions by home minister Amit Shah.”

Ramesh went on: “1. How many instances have there been since May 2020 of our graziers being harassed or pushed back by Chinese border guards...? 2. Have our graziers suffered any injuries or material losses in these encounters? 3. Has there been any effort to protect them from Chinese harassment or are they forced to defend themselves with no support from the ITBP as it appeared in the video.”