Army chief reviews Ladakh situation

Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Friday visited Leh, the headquarters of 14 Corps in Ladakh, for a safety assessment of the delicate sector amid tensions between India and China alongside the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC), two officers stated on the situation of anonymity. He returned to Delhi later within the day.

The go to got here a day after India rejected China’s allegation that Indian troops initiated tensions and crossed LAC in Ladakh and Sikkim sectors and accused the Chinese military of hindering patrols on the Indian facet.

Soldiers on either side are displaying restraint and efforts have been underway to de-escalate, stated one of many officers cited above.

India and China have deployed extra troops, particularly in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, after a face-off close to Pangong Tso on May 5-6. India bolstered its troop ranges after the Chinese facet introduced in reinforcements and likewise reportedly pitched tents and erected non permanent positions within the Galwan Valley as a part of its efforts to ascertain a presence there.

China’s international ministry first accused Indian troops of trespassing throughout LAC on Tuesday, saying Beijing needed to take “necessary countermeasures” after the Indian military allegedly obstructed regular patrols by Chinese troops.

A authorities spokesperson on Thursday stated, “Any suggestion that Indian troops had undertaken activity across LAC in the western [Ladakh] sector or the Sikkim sector is not accurate.”

HT was the primary to report on May 10 about tensions flaring up between India and China in north Sikkim, the place 150 troopers have been concerned in a standoff a day earlier. Four Indian and 7 Chinese troopers have been injured in the course of the confrontation.

Scores of troopers from the 2 international locations clashed close to Pangong Tso on the evening of May 5-6 and some have been injured within the scuffle that concerned round 250 males. While a flare-up was averted as each armies caught to protocols to resolve the scenario, tensions unfold to different elements of jap Ladakh, together with the Galwan Valley.

Talks between native commanders have didn’t ease tensions and diplomatic channels are at work to finish the standoff, officers stated. The present scenario alongside LAC marks the primary main flare-up for the reason that 73-day standoff between India and China at Doklam close to the Sikkim border in 2017.