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Alarmed by the deployment of over 5,000 Chinese troops on the Line of Actual Control at different locations in the Ladakh sector, the Indian Army is apparently increasing presence of its troops to match their strength and is also enhancing its presence in other areas to deter the People’s Liberation Troops from carrying out transgressions in other areas.
At present, the Chinese Army has diverted its troops carrying out a massive exercise on their side of the LAC and deployed them at short notice across the Line of Actual Control in the areas under the Indian Army’s 81 and 114 Brigades deployed to counter the Chinese assertions from Daulat Beg Oldie and adjoining areas.
Meanwhile, Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane held a discussion with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh upon the return of the Indian Army chief from the Leh border, where Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto border between the two countries.
General Naravane was on a visit to the frontier areas on Friday, in a bid to take stock of the situation after Indian and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troopers clashed at the border after Chinese troops intruded into the Indian side of the LAC.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat were also present during General Naravane’s call with the Union Defence Minister recently , sources said. During the meeting, General Naravane is said to have given Singh an overview of India’s preparedness along the LAC.
Sources, in report by a news agency , in the Indian Army said that the Chinese have moved in troops and heavy vehicles across the Line of Actual Control near the Pangong Tso lake and finger area and are well within the Indian territory.
In the Galwan Nala area, the Chinese have walked in with troops from its road head nearly 10-15 km from the Indian post KM120 there who have pitched tents and are stationed close to it.
Sources said the Chinese have been building their roads in the area opposite to the Indian positions for which objections were also raised from Indian side but they continued building infrastructure.
In the Galwan area, the Indian Army has been building a bridge near the Indian patrolling point 14 near Galwan Nala over which the Chinese raised objections and have increased their presence there.
At any time, the Indian post KM120 has 250 troops including men from both the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police as convoys pass through there but now the post has been reinforced with men and equipment to counter the Chinese aggression there.
India is also using the airfield in the Daulat Beg Oldie sector to ferry in troops from the reserves and other areas to match the Chinese strength in the Eastern Ladakh sector.
Sources said an old proposal is being revived to build an airfield close the Indian position along a road in the DBO sector where the Chinese won’t be able to monitor the aerial movement on the Indian side.
In other areas of eastern Ladakh under the 70 brigade, in Himachal sector and the central sector of the LAC including the border with Uttarakhand, the Indian Army has increased the presence of its troops and patrolling to check any attempts by the PLA to transgress in other areas.
Sources stressed that as per the assessment on ground, the way Chinese have increased their troops on the ground, the own side was caught in for a surprise for a brief period.
The ground commanders and the senior leadership are talking to Beijing to resolve the standoff at the earliest but not much progress has been made due to the rigid stand taken by the Chinese.
