This Article is From Sep 30, 2021

100 Chinese Troops Crossed Over Into Uttarakhand In August: Reports

The Chinese soldiers went back after a few hours on the Indian side and there was no standoff, sources said.

Sources said there was no damage to any infrastructure in the area by the Chinese.

New Delhi:

In yet another reminder that the de facto border between India and China remains contentious in several regions beyond Ladakh, details are emerging about the latest incursion by Chinese forces, this time in Uttarakhand's Barahoti region, North of the Nanda Devi biosphere reserve.

Close to 100 soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) transgressed 5 km across the Line of Actual Control or LAC last month, the Economic Times reported earlier this week.

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), news agency PTI said.

The report cited people familiar with the matter who said Indian troops responded with a "tit-for-tat strategy" and "carried out patrolling".

There was no official comment on the Chinese transgression. Sources said that 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 quoted by the PTI, 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.

(With inputs from PTI)

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