Chinese claims of Indian troops breaching LAC 'inaccurate': India

After continuous face-off with the Chinese soldiers along the LAC in Ladakh and Sikkim, which included fist fighting, stone-pelting and direct confrontations in the first two weeks of May, India today broke its silence over Chinese allegations that suggested that it has it had bult "illegal" defence facilities across the LAC in Chinese territory.

"Any suggestion that Indian troops had undertaken activity across the LAC in the Western Sector or the Sikkim sector is not accurate. 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 government said in a statement.

Pointing out the increased Chinese activities along the LAC, the statement said, "All Indian activities 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. Indian side has always taken a very responsible approach towards border management. At the same time, we are deeply committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and security."

India asserted that the Indian forces stick to the guidelines laid to resolve the differences that may arise due to perception of LAC on both the sides and India believes in adhering to the mechanism in this respect.

"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 perception of LAC. The two sides have established mechanisms to resolve such situations peacefully through dialogue. Both sides remain engaged with each other to address any immediate issues."

Underscoring the informal meet between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tamil Nadu's Mamallapuram, where the two leaders had extended talks over greater bilateral ties, the statement said: "In accordance with the consensus reached in Chennai, 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."

China's state-run Global Times earlier reported quoting an unnamed source that "Chinese border defense troops have bolstered border control measures and made necessary moves in response to India's recent, illegal construction of defense facilities across the border into Chinese territory in the Galwan Valley region."

There are disagreements between India and China over the exact location of the LAC in several areas. While India claims that the LAC is 3,488 km long, the Chinese think it is around 2,000 km long.

Both the Indian Army and the Chinese Army try and dominate each other by patrolling the areas up to the points each perceives the LAC, often leading to conflicting situations such as those reported in Naku La in Sikkim earlier this month.