Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed over LAC situation; CDS, tri-service chiefs to attend high-level meet shortly

NEW DELHI: Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane on Tuesday (September 8, 2020) morning briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the prevailing situation at the Line of Actual Control shortly after China accused the Indian side of alleged provocations and threatening its troops at the Indo-China border.

According to sources, the Defence Minister was briefed about the current situation based on the assessment done by the local Army commanders in J&K over the recent developments at the LAC.

A high-level meeting has been called at the South Block by the Defence Secretary, which will be attended by the Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, the three service chiefs and top Defence Ministry officials. The situation at the LAC and India's likely response to China will be discussed during the meeting which will take place later today.

Sources told Zee Media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been briefed about the situation at the LAC. In the latest turn of events, China has accused India of crossing the LAC and its troops of firing warning shots near Pangong Tso lake in Eastern Ladakh – a claim rejected by the Indian side.

Spokesperson of China's Western Theater Command, Colonel Zhang Shiuli, said that India, while acting provocative, illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control in Shenpao mountain near the south bank of Pangong Tso Lake. He said that during the operation, the Indian Army opened fire and threatened our soldiers.

China further accused India of severely violated agreements between the two sides and blamed that it is working towards increase regional tensions, calling it an act of provocation that leads to misunderstandings.

Zhang Shuili urged the Indian side to stop this dangerous game immediately and asked the Indian soldiers to return to their border. Along with this, investigate the matter and take action against the soldiers who opened fire so that such an incident does not happen again.

Responding to it, Union Ministry of Defence on Tuesday (September 8) rejected China's claim that the Indian Army crossed the Line of Actual Control and fired “warning shots” near the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, stressing that India is committed to disengagement and de-escalating the situation on the LAC.

The Ministry of Defence said in a statement that China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate and at no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to use of any aggressive means, including firing. 

"It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres, while engagement at military, diplomatic and political level is in progress. In the instant case on 07 September 2020, it was the PLA troops who were attempting to close-in with one of our forward positions along the LAC and when dissuaded by own troops, PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate own troops. However, despite the grave provocation, own troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner," said the statement. 

"The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity, however, is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs. The statement by the Western Theatre Command is an attempt to mislead their domestic and international audience," it added.