Chinese soldiers fired in the air while attempting to close in on Indian positions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh on Monday night, the Indian Army said on Tuesday adding that Chinese PLA troops have been “blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive maneuvers.”
The firing is taking place on the LAC after a halt of almost 45-years. In a detailed statement, the Army spokesperson on Tuesday said that the Chinese troops on Monday night were “attempting to close-in with one of our forward positions along the LAC, and when dissuaded by own troops, PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate.”
“It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres, while engagement at the military, diplomatic and political level is in progress,” the Indian Army said in a statement.
The Army’s statement came after China claimed that Indian troops “illegally crossed” the LAC near Pangong Tso on Monday and accordingly Chinese troops were forced to take “countermeasures” to stabilise the situation. It added that despite this provocation, the Indian troops exercised great restraint and behaved responsibly.
“Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity, however, it is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs,” it further said and refuted the statement by the Western Theatre Command (one of the five commands of China’s PLA) as an “attempt to mislead their domestic and international audience.”
Earlier, sources revealed that an incident of firing had taken place on the LAC in the Eastern Ladakh sector where troops of India and China have been engaged in a stand-off for over three months.