Twitter
Advertisement

China crosses Uttarakhand border; government plays down incident

Pull back, but after rebuking district administration officials * Defence ministry plays down incident

Latest News
article-main
File picture of Chinese soldiers at the Nathula Pass in Sikkim.
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Within days of transgressing the East Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh, India witnessed a new Chinese attempt in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand last week.

This time, Chinese soldiers infiltrated into the Barahoti region, a grazing ground of about 80 sq km, located near the border and left after a face-off lasting for 30 minutes to one hour.

Defence sources in South Block, however, played down the incident and said that "transgressions continue to happen along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on account of differing perceptions of the border."

"In the Barahoti incident, a small detachment of PLA (not more than 4-5) came across our own patrol in the area. The incident was handled as per mutually agreed drills. It did not last for more than a few minutes," they said.

Though the Chinese soldiers pulled back, during their brief period of stay, they ticked off the district administration team that had gone there for inspection. Sources said the confrontation was not eyeball-to-eyeball.

Chinese soldiers had transgressed the Yangtse region of East Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh on June 9, coinciding with the time when Beijing was trying to block New Delhi's bid to enter the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Uttarakhand shares a 350-km-long boundary with China and it is the only sector where maps have been exchanged between China and India, unlike in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. However, the Chinese are known for crossing over into the remote areas of Chamoli and write 'China' on rocks close to the border.

Besides the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the matter was communicated to the Centre by Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat.

Rawat confirmed the transgression, saying that he discussed the subject with the home ministry, which was noticed when the district magistrate, along with his team had gone to measure the area.

"It is very worrying. I have been saying that border vigilance should be increased. Thankfully, they didn't touch an important canal," Rawat said in Dehradun.

"I am sure the central government will take cognizance of the issue and appropriate measures the at diplomatic level will be taken," Rawat added.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement