50 Chinese soldiers on horses, ponies intrude Indian territory

The Chinese troops once again intruded into Indian territory in Eastern Ladakh.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Chinese troops once again intruded into Indian territory in Eastern Ladakh and launched an offensive by displaying banners demanding India to leave the "occupied" area, as per reports. The incident of incursion was reported last week when the Chinese troops crossed the Line of Actual Control. However, no casualty was reported in the face-off between the Indian and Chinese troops that lasted for two days until the Chinese troops retreated on July 18 and normalcy was restored. The incursion was reported to the Prime Minister`s Office (PMO), Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Affairs and Indian authorities has sought a meeting with Chinese officials including the area commanders at Spanggur Gap. Riding on horses and ponies, around 50 Chinese soldiers intruded into the Indian territory of Chumar in Ladakh on July 16 staking their claim over the area. The Chinese troops started their incursion in the Chumar area on the evening of July 16 and they remained in the Indian area till the morning of July 17, sources said. This is not the first time when the Chinese troops have intruded in the Indian territory. On April 15 this year, a platoon-strength contingent of China`s People`s Liberation Army (PLA) erected a tented post 10 km inside the Indian territory in Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector in eastern Ladakh. The recent incident of incursion comes nearly a month after AK Antony`s visit to Beijing in which Chinese premier Li Keqiang told the Defence Minister that both the countries have the political willingness to appropriately address border issues through dialogues and consultations to jointly maintain peace, tranquillity and stability in border areas. This will "help ensure the achievement of common development of the two countries," Li had said. (With PTI inputs)