New Delhi, Oct 23 (NVI) It seems situation on the India-China border in Arunachal is far from normal, with ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Kapur and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman Randhir Jaiswal giving enough indications in this regard.
Kapur, whose forces are deployed at the China border, revealed that “face-offs” have taken place between Indian and Chinese forces “recently and are still going on”.
He said the ITBP troops have been doing a splendid job in preserving the security of the country.
He spoke about the issue at an ITBP event in Alwar in Rajasthan but did not provide more details.
Later, when asked about the issue at a media briefing, MEA spokesman Jaiswal indicated the confirmation.
“As we noted in past, situation on India-China border gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns,” he said.
He added that “Both sides continue to use both military and diplomatic mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).”
LAC is the dividing line between the two countries.
Jaiswal refused to go into the specifics, saying such questions may be directed at the Ministry of Defence.
He said the two countries had agreed to discuss ways to improve their understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas to strengthen border management.
“The maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations,” he said.
The ITBP chief’s comments triggered a political controversy, with the Opposition parties and others questioning why the government has been hiding the facts. (NVI)
