*Kibithu: *The Indian Army has said that it will continue to patrol up tothe Line of Actual Control, as the Chinese side called India’s patrollingin the area a “transgression”.
The Indian Army has objected to the terminology that the Chinese used torefer to its patrols in Arunachal Pradesh’s Asaphila.
The issue was raised at a ‘Border Personnel Meeting’ (BPM) on March 15 inKibithu, during which the Indian Army said that the area in the upperSubansiri region of Arunachal Pradesh belongs to India and it has regularlybeen carrying out patrols there.
“China’s protest to our patrolling in Asaphila is surprising,” said asource, adding there were several instances of Chinese intrusionslink>inthe area which had been seriously taken up by the Indian side in the past.
Under the BPM mechanism, both sides can register their protest over anyincident of transgressions as there are varying perceptions about the LACbetween the two countries.
The delegation of China’s Peoples Liberation Army specifically mentionedextensive patrolling in Asaphila by Indian troops, saying such “violations”may escalate tensions between the two sides in the area.
Rejecting the Chinese protest, the Indian side said its troops were awareof the alignment of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the Army wouldcontinue to carry out patrols up to the LAC, the de facto border betweenthe two countries.
Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam fromJune 16 last year.The sources said the Chinese military specifically mentioned large-scaleIndian patrolling in Asaphila near Fishtail 1 on December 21, 22 and 23last.
Indian and Chinese troops hold BPMs to resolve issues triggering tensionsalong the border. There are five BPM points along the Line of ActualControl (LAC) at Bum La and Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh, Daulat Beg Oldiand Chushul in Ladakh, and Nathu La in Sikkim.
The BPM on March 15 had taken place at the Daimai post on the Chinese sidein the Kibithu area.At the meeting, the Chinese also accused the Indian side of damaging itsroad building equipment when a road laying party left its gear in Tuting inDecember last year following a protest by India.This allegation was also rejected by the Indian Army, the sources said.
The Chinese road building team had crossed into Indian territory, about onekilometre inside the Line of Actual Control in the Tuting area, in the lastweek of December.