Indian and Chinese troops appeared heading for a long haul as their tense standoff in the disputed areas of Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh showed no signs of abating even as efforts to de-escalate the tension through talks continued.
In the midst of the flare-ups, the Indian Army on Sunday categorically rejected reports that Indian patrol teams were detained by Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh in the last few days, but did not provide any details of the current situation in the region.
“There has been no detention of Indian soldiers at the borders. We categorically deny this. It only hurts national interests when media outlets publish unsubstantiated news,” the Army said in a statement.
People familiar with the situation in the region said the two sides were engaged in trying to resolve the dispute, but there was no indication of a positive outcome yet as both the armies continued to bolster their positions in disputed areas of Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley and Demchok.
The Chinese side has particularly strengthened its presence in the Galwan Valley, erecting around 100 tents in the last two weeks and bringing in heavy equipment for construction of bunkers.
The Indian side has conveyed its strong objection to China pitching tents and bringing in heavy equipment during the meetings between local commanders of the two armies last week.
There have been reports of multiple incidents of transgressions by Chinese troops in several areas in Eastern Ladakh and soldiers from the two sides were involved in scuffles on at least two occasions, sources said.
The sources said the Indian Army has also been increasing its strength in both Pangong Tso lake, Galwan Valley and Demchok. The Indian troops are also resorting to “aggressive patrolling” in several sensitive areas including Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldi, they said.
The situation in Eastern Ladakh deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on the evening of May 5 which spilled over to the next day before the two sides agreed to “disengage” following a meeting at the level of local commanders.
Over 100 Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in the violence.
The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in North Sikkim on May 9.
India on Thursday said the Chinese military was hindering normal patrolling by its troops and asserted that India has always taken a very responsible approach towards border management.
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