NEW DELHI, Sept 30: Nearly 100 Chinese soldiers transgressed about five kilometres inside India across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Uttarakhand’s Barahoti region, north of the Nanda Devi biosphere reserve, last month, media reports said.
The latest incursions by the Chinese forces was yet another reminder that the de facto border between India and China remains contentious in several other regions beyond Ladakh, the scene of scuffle between the two forces last year.
The transgression took place on August 30 and the Chinese troops returned after a few hours from the area guarded by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), repots said. The report cited sources saying that the Indian troops responded with a “tit-for-tat strategy” and “carried out patrolling.”
There was no official comment on the Chinese transgression. Sources said there was no damage to any infrastructure in the area. The incident comes amid a continuing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in several areas in eastern Ladakh though both sides completed disengagement in two sensitive locations.
According to sources, minor transgressions have been taking place in Barahoti because of differing perceptions about the LAC by both sides. However, what surprised the Indian officials was the number of Chinese military personnel who transgressed on August 30, they said.
The Chinese side has also significantly ramped up infrastructure development along the LAC in the sector. India has been maintaining a strict vigil along the nearly 3,500-km LAC following the eastern Ladakh standoff. The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year in eastern Ladakh following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area. Both sides gradually ramped up their presence by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the Gogra area last month. In February, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in line with a disengagement agreement. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector.
(Manas Dasgupta)