Border stand-off: China's act of bulldozing Indian bunker in Sikkim in June triggered tension

New Delhi: The Chinese troops had reportedly destroyed an old Indian Army bunker by using a bulldozer at the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction in June, which led to a face-off between the two forces.

News agency PTI quoted official sources as saying China removed the bunker in the first week of June after the Indian side refused to accede to its request.

The incident, which took place in Doka La general area, had triggered tension in the Sikkim section of the India-China border, sources told the news agency today.

The forcible removal of the old bunker by using heavy machinery like a bulldozer came when the Indian side did not agree to a request by the Chinese authorities to dismantle it, the sources said.

China is believed to have not taken kindly to India building many new bunkers and upgrading older ones along the border in Sikkim in the recent past to augment its defences against the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the sources said.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

Beijing is also upset with New Delhi over the recent visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh, the sources said, adding they were also trying to escalate tension in the forward areas, including in Sikkim, even though the border in the northeastern state is demarcated.

The Sikkim government has also sent a report to the central government giving details of the situation along the border following the stand-off in Doka La.

China, meanwhile, today said the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops on the border smacked of New Delhi's "hidden agenda" of meddling in Bhutan's internal affairs.

Beijing said only India can judge if it was interfering in Bhutan's internal affair by obstructing road construction in Donglong or Doklam, the disputed region between China and Bhutan where Indian and Chinese troops faced off each other.

China has no diplomatic ties with Bhutan where India is said to have considerable influence.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said there was no dispute about Donglong which belonged to China and not to India or Bhutan.

"The region (Donglong) is part of China and is indisputable. It belongs to China from ancient times and it doesn't belong to Bhutan." Lu said.

The first batch of Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims comprising about 50 people returned from Nathu La border post as the stand-off between India and China continues.

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The pilgrims returned to Gangtok on June 23 after staying in Nathu La for three days awaiting permission from the Chinese side to undertake the onward journey.

The second batch of the pilgrims did not move from Gangtok while pilgrims were told to go home as the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage is unlikely to continue this year via Nathu La.

The Sikkim route to Mansarovar, which is in Tibet, was thrown open to the public in 2015.

The visas for the third batch, comprising about 50 pilgrims, were not given yet. A total of 8-10 batches were supposed to go for the pilgrimage through Nathu La this year.

Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said yesterday that 100 pilgrims were sent back by China despite having a Chinese visa.

The sources said the Chinese side has mentioned a broken bridge as being the reason for the pilgrims not being able to cross into Tibet for the annual yatra.

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Sikkim is a part of the middle sector and experts have been warning the government of increased Chinese activities in this area.

China today termed the construction of a road in the Sikkim sector as "legitimate", asserting that it was being built on Chinese territory that neither belongs to India nor Bhutan and no other country had the right to interfere.

China yesterday lodged a protest with India over the alleged "crossing of boundary" by its troops in the Sikkim sector and demanded their immediate withdrawal, as Beijing warned that future visits of Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar will depend on the resolution of the standoff.

The last such transgression had happened in Sikkim in November 2008 when Chinese soldiers destroyed some makeshift Indian Army bunkers there.

(With Agency inputs)