Indian and Chinese Armies stand off in Ladakh
Shares
NEW DELHI: Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a stand-off since Wednesday in Ladakh’s Demchok area as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops have entered an area near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and have stopped the construction work on an irrigation canal.
Government sources say that local administration is constructing an irrigation canal to link a village with a hot spring in Demchok – at least 250 km East of Leh.
Officials said that around 55 Chinese troops arrived at the scene and halted the work in an aggressive manner, prompting the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel to rush to the spot and stop the high-handedness of Chinese troops.
The Chinese troops took positions on the LAC and demanded that work be stopped as either side needs to take permission before undertaking any work – a claim disputed by the Indian side which says that as per the agreement between the two countries, information about construction needs to be shared only if it was meant for defence purposes.
Both sides pulled out banners and have been stationed on the ground, sources said, adding the Indian army was not allowing the Chinese to move ahead despite the PLA claiming that the area belonged to China.