Over 100 Chinese soldiers transgressed LAC in Uttarakhand last month: Sources

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers reportedly transgressed the Line of Actual Control in the Barahoti sector. However, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has denied having information about any such occurrence so far.

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By Ram Anuj

New Delhi: While there is no official confirmation, around 100 soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly transgressed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Barahoti sector in Uttarakhand last month, people familiar with the development said on Tuesday (September 28), according to PTI. The transgression took place on August 30, and the Chinese troops returned from the area after spending few hours, they said. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel are deployed in the area.

The people cited above said as part of a tit-for-tat strategy, Indian troops carried out patrolling. There was no official comment on the Chinese transgression. The incident comes amid a continuing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in a number of areas in eastern Ladakh though both sides completed disengagement in two sensitive locations.

The people cited above said 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 PLA personnel who transgressed on August 30. 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 enhanced their deployment 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 an agreement on disengagement.

Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector.

Meanwhile, when asked about the arrival of Chinese soldiers on the border of Uttarakhand and China, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that there is no information about such an occurence. "But the central government is always alert about the security of the border, and if any such incident comes to the fore, then it will be shared with the media," the CM said.

(With PTI inputs)