Ladakh: Standoff between Indo-China troops near Line of Actual Control

A sense of unease gripped the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh sector on Friday with signs of a build-up of Indian and Chinese troops in the Burtse region, sources said.

A sense of unease gripped the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh sector on Friday with signs of a build-up of Indian and Chinese troops in the Burtse region, sources said.

Security-personnel-during-an-encounter-with-militants-in-Jammu-PTI-Photo

A senior army officer on Saturday, however, said the situation along the LAC was “now stable” and there was no build-up of troops.

The situation at Burtse in the Depsang plains is understood to have become tense after Indian troops objected to the construction of a watchtower by Chinese troops in the disputed area. While there was no official word from the government on the development, the senior officer said troops were not caught in a confrontation.

The development came exactly a year after the two armies were involved in a tense standoff in the Chumar sector of Ladakh after Indian forces found Chinese troops had deployed heavy machinery to construct a temporary road inside what India considers its territory.

The Chumar faceoff last September, involving over 3,000 troops from both sides, coincided with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s India tour.