India refutes China's claims of activity in violation of Line of Actual Control

The Indian government on Thursday refuted China's claims that India was carrying out activities in violation of the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh and Sikkim.

"Any suggestion that Indian troops had undertaken activity across the LAC in the Western Sector or the Sikkim sector is not accurate," the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Anurag Srivastava told the media during a virtual press briefing.

All Indian activities, he said, are entirely on the Indian side of the LAC. 

"In fact, it is Chinese side that has recently undertaken activity hindering India's normal patrolling patterns."

The spokesperson said that Indian troops are fully familiar with the alignment of the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas and abide by it scrupulously.

The Indian troops strictly follow the procedures laid down in various bilateral agreements and protocols to resolve any situations which may arise due to difference in the perception of the LAC.

The spokesperson said India and China have established mechanisms to resolve such situations peacefully through dialogue. He added Indian side remains firmly committed to work for the common objective of maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas.

"This is an essential prerequisite to the further development of Indian-China bilateral relations," he said.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has erected a sizeable number of tents in the Galwan Valley of the Union Territory of Ladakh - an area over which India is sensitive about since the showdown in the 1962 war. In the first week of May, 250 Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed with iron rods, sticks, and even resorted to stone-pelting in the Pangong Tso lake area.

In the second week of May, around 150 soldiers of both sides had a face-off near Naku La Pass in Sikkim. In both the incidents, soldiers sustained injuries. Both India and China have now deployed addition troops both in tense areas of Galwan valley, Pangong Tso lake and several areas in northern Sikkim.

(with inputs from PTI)