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NEW DELHI: An Indian special forces soldier of Tibetan origin was killed in the latest border clash with Chinese troops on its disputed Himalayan border, a Tibetan representative said Tuesday.
The death is the first of two reported incidents in 48 hours on the border that has increased tensions between the giant nations just two months after a battle that left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead.
India and China, which fought a border war in 1962, have accused each other of attempting to cross their unofficial border in the Ladakh region in an attempt to gain territory on Saturday night and then again on Monday.
Neither side has announced victims, but Namghyal Dolkar Lhagyari, a member of the Tibetan parliament in exile, told AFP that the Tibetan-born soldier was “martyred during the confrontation” on Saturday night.
She said another member of the Special Border Force, which reportedly includes many ethnic Tibetans who oppose China’s claim to their region of origin, was injured in the operation.
“Provocative military movements”
The two most populous countries in the world have sent tens of thousands of troops to the region since the brutal June 15 battle fought with sticks and wooden fists.
India has said that 20 soldiers died. China acknowledged the casualties but did not provide figures.
The two sides blamed each other for the latest incidents.
India’s Defense Ministry said Chinese troops “carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo” at the border on Saturday.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army said India was “seriously violating China’s territorial sovereignty” with its organized operation on Monday and demanded that Indian troops withdraw.
India’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that China had caused the latest incident “even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in talks to reduce the situation.”
Indian media reports, citing military sources, said that PLA forces attempted to seize the hilltops traditionally claimed by India around Pangong Tso, a lake at an altitude of 4,200 m.
India’s Defense Ministry said its troops “took steps to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change the facts on the ground.”
The Business Standard newspaper said that the SFF had been used to reach heights that China considers its own.
The Indian government does not comment on the operations of the task force.
Amid calls to boycott Chinese products, India has stepped up economic pressure on China since the June battle and repeatedly warned that relations would suffer unless its troops withdrew.
India has banned at least 49 Chinese-owned apps, including the video platform TikTok, has frozen the contracts of Chinese companies, and has held Chinese products at customs posts.
