On Monday night, bullets were fired across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), for which India and China blame each other.
The Chinese government owned Global Times claimed that, “Indian troops crossed the LAC at the west section of the China-India border, into the Shenpao mountain region near the south bank of Pangong Tso Lake,” said senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, a spokesperson of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) western command theatre.
“The Indian side’s move seriously violated related agreements reached by both sides, stirred up tensions in the region, and would easily cause misunderstandings and misjudgements, which is a serious military provocation …,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson demanded that the Indian Army personnel “to immediately stop dangerous moves and withdraw personnel who crossed the LAC at once.”
However, a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday morning said, “At no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to using of any aggressive means, including firing.”
“It was the PLA troops who were attempting to close in with one of our forward positions along the LAC. When dissuaded, the PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate the Indian troops. However, despite the grave provocation, our troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner,” the statement by the Ministry read.
India and China have been engaged in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger area, Galwan valley, Hot springs, and Kongrung Nala. The situation worsened after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan valley in June.
