India-China face-off: Exclusive pictures emerge of Chinese troops armed with spears, machete at LAC

New Delhi: A day after Chinese troops tried to lock down Indian posts at Pangong Lake in Ladakh, pictures of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) armed with rods, spears and machetes have surfaced. This is the first direct evidence of the use of such weapons by the Chinese army against Indian troops along the LAC.

The pictures clearly indicate that the Chinese Army intended a skirmish similar to June 15 in which both sides suffered casualties. While at least 20 Indian jawans were killed in the violent clash, it is believed that 35-50 Chinese troops were also killed in the incident. 

Meanwhile, Indian Army claimed that on September 7 night, Chinese Army PLA troops attempted to close-in on one of the Indian forward positions and undertook 'provocative activities to escalate'. According to the Indian Army, Chinese troops had also fired shots in the air. The incident happened around the height of Rezang La at LAC. Sources told WION that around 40 PLA soldiers attempted to close in on an Indian position in eastern Ladakh on September 7. 

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In a midnight statement on Monday, the Chinese Army claimed that the Indian side crossed the LAC and outrageously fired warning shots near the Pangong lake, a statement rebutted by the Indian army in a statement on Tuesday morning. 

The use of firearms along the LAC marks a serious escalation in border tensions, as the previous instance of shots being fired at the de-facto border was in 1975.

India has already called on China to work jointly for complete disengagement and de-escalation on the LAC, saying the future of the bilateral relationship is dependent on the situation along the border.

Meanwhile, sources claimed armies of India and China held communications in the aftermath of the incident even as Chinese troops are in a face-off position with Indian troops near Rezang La Heights.

The developments come days before India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers meeting in Moscow.