Updated: September 9, 2020 5:56:04 am
Army sources said Indian troops at Mukpari, one of the heights they occupied a week ago in the Chushul sector, foiled a Chinese attempt to reach the top of the hill on Monday night.
Rejecting Beijing’s allegation that Indian troops fired at a Chinese patrol, the Indian army said Tuesday that it was PLA troops that “fired a few rounds into the air” while trying to “get closer” to an Indian outpost along the way. along the Real Line. Control in Ladakh.
This is the first case since 1975 in which shots have been fired throughout LAC; 45 years ago, an Assam Rifles patrol was ambushed by the Chinese at Tulung La in Arunachal Pradesh.
Army sources said Indian troops at Mukpari, one of the heights they occupied a week ago in the Chushul sector, foiled a Chinese attempt to reach the top of the hill on Monday night.
Until Tuesday evening, the Indian and Chinese troops continued in the general area of the scene of the fighting, a few hundred meters away.
An army official said that since the Indian operation on Aug. 29-30, the Chinese have been making “almost daily attempts” to try to reach the same heights. “There have been multiple attempts in multiple places” in the sector, he said.
Located west of Spanggur Tso and northwest of Rezang La, the Mukpari Heights, a senior Army official said, provide significant tactical dominance, offering a commanding view of the Chinese terrain and positions, including its garrison in Moldo. From the heights of the area, troops can guard the Spanggur Gap, a mountain pass that the Chinese used in the 1962 war to try to advance towards Chushul.
On Monday night, Indian troops in Mukpari noticed that a group of 30 to 40 Chinese soldiers, armed with machetes, steel bars and other objects, were trying to scale the hill from their side of the LAC.
Indian troops on the heights, Army sources said, warned the Chinese that it would be dangerous if they got close. They were told to turn back. As Chinese troops returned, one of them fired into the air, sources said.
In a statement, the Indian army rejected China’s accusations and said its troops did not open fire or cross LAC.
“At no time has the Indian Army transgressed through LAC or resorted to the use of any aggressive means, including fire,” the Army said. He said that while India is “committed to disengaging and reducing the situation in LAC, China continues to carry out provocative activities to escalate” the situation. The Army accused the PLA of “openly violating the agreements and carrying out aggressive maneuvers, while the military, diplomatic and political commitment advances.”
In Monday’s incident, the Army said that “it was the PLA troops who were trying to get closer” to “one of our forward positions along the LAC” and “when their own troops deterred them, the PLA troops fired some rounds on the air in an attempt to intimidate the troops themselves. ”The Army said its troops“ exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner. ”It said that while it is“ committed to maintaining peace and tranquility “,” He is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs. “He said the statement by the PLA’s Western Theater Command on Monday’s incident was” an attempt to mislead his national and international audience. ” Late Monday night, Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesman for the PLA Western Theater Command, claimed that the Indian army “crossed the line and entered Bangong Hunan, the western section of the Sino-Indian border” and he
“India’s actions seriously violated the relevant agreements and the China-India accords, increasing regional tensions and easily causing misunderstandings and misjudgments.”
Describing these as “serious military provocations … of very bad nature,” Zhang urged “the Indian side to immediately halt dangerous actions, immediately withdraw personnel crossing the line, strictly restrain front-line troops, and investigate and strictly punish the personnel who shot at ensuring that similar incidents are not repeated ”.
India has maintained that all its actions have been carried out throughout LAC. On September 4, Army Chief General MM Naravane, during a visit to eastern Ladakh to review ground preparation, called the situation across LAC “tense” but said “we have made a preventive deployment in some areas “and” we are prepared for all contingencies that may arise “.
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