India-China troops face-off: Rajnath Singh postpones visit to Ladakh, may go later in Sept

In order to take the stock of the situation in Ladakh where the Indian and Chinese troops had a face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be visiting the region on September 15.

New Delhi: In order to take the stock of the situation in Ladakh where the Indian and Chinese troops had a face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be visiting the region later in September.

Singh, who was scheduled to visit the forward areas along the borders with Pakistan and China on Tuesday, has postponed the tour citing a key BJP meeting on Bihar.

"A meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Board has been called on Tuesday and it is important for the Home Minister, who is a senior party leader, to attend it.
"Hence the visit is rescheduled and he is likely to visit the border areas later this month," a Home Ministry spokesperson said.

The BJP meeting is expected to discuss party strategy for the coming Bihar Assembly polls scheduled next month.

The home minister was to visit Ladakh on Tuesday to assess the situation in forward areas and oversee the deployment of ITBP along LAC.

"As the home minister of country I want to assure you that we have taken effective steps to ensure border security," Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.

"When Pakistan Rangers DG came to meet me I'd told him that Atalji used to believe that friends can change, but neighbours don't," he added.

According to officials in the know of developments, the Chinese troops had built a temporary hut in Burtse, North of Ladakh, which was subsequently demolished by the ITBP and Army jawans yesterday.

China is said to be eyeing this area, which gives advantage to India to overlook the Karakoram highway linking the territory illegally occupied by China with Pakistan- occupied-Kashmir.

Besides, India has an Advanced Ground Landing (AGL) facility in Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) which was activated in August 2013 and the Indian Air Force had managed to land a C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft at the air strip located at 16614 feet above sea level.

After reports about the construction of a hutment reached ITBP personnel, a joint patrol of para-military forces and the Army was sent to the area after which it was demolished.

Attempts for a flag meeting did not succeed as Chinese side did not revert on the date for a meet, the sources said.

The PLA troops had made attempts to push the Indian troops back but these were thwarted, they said.

Indian troops displayed the banners in Chinese asking the PLA to return to their side, the officials said.

India and China share over 4,000 km of LAC. China claims approximately 90,000 sq km of territory in Arunachal Pradesh besides 38,000 sq km in Jammu and Kashmir sector.

Defence Ministry officials in Delhi declined to comment.

(With Agency inputs)