In what appears to be a direct fall out of the Doklam crisis between India and China, the border guarding forces ITBP and China's People's Liberation Army, engaged in a face off in the Ladakh sector Tuesday morning. The Indian troops were alert as they were expecting trouble, largely on its Ladakh border in the run-up to the Independence Day celebrations.
Earlier this week, Indian security experts had told THE WEEK that the Chinese build-up in the Doklam sector in the tri-junction of India-Bhutan and China last week could be a red herring. The dragon could strike at more unsuspecting locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) where it has a greater advantage. Most vulnerable among them could be the Ladakh sector and what the Army calls the Rest of Arunachal Pradesh (RALP), east of Tawang, they had said.
“There is a possibility that China could open a new front to strike if it wants to. When it does that, it will choose the most vulnerable stretch. The RALP or Ladakh sector could be an option for them and we need to be prepared," former Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D.S. Hooda had told THE WEEK.
On Tuesday , the area chosen by the PLA was one of the vulnerable spots where Chinese incursions take place regularly as Beijing claims it as part of their territory. The face off happened at places called Finger 4 and Finger 5 after Chinese troops entered Indian territory along the banks of the famous Pangong lake in Ladakh between 6 and 9 am on Tuesday morning.
Alert Indian border guarding forces tried to stop them but reports coming to the ITBP say that stones were thrown from Chinese side promoting Indian troops to respond. The face off resulted in minor injuries on both sides. The face off ended by 9 am, and both sides returned to their positions. It was resolved at the level of the troops, home ministry sources said.
However, one thing has become clear: tension between the two neighbouring countries is mounting. This time there has also not been any exchange of sweets at Nathu La, which had been a customary practice during Independence Day celebrations here. “There used to be sweet and greetings exchanged on August 15 every year at Nathu La, but this time no one came from the Chinese side,” said an official who refused to be named.
Hooda said he has never heard of such strong official statements coming from the Chinese side in several years. “It is one thing for the Chinese media to write about war and so on. But for the official spokesperson and senior officials in Beijing to talk about it so often is something I have not heard in the past. By doing so, Beijing is also pushing itself into a corner. One wrong step here or there could create a war-like situation,” he said.
“If India continues to go down the wrong path, we have the right to use any action under the international law to protect the lives of our troops. New Delhi should stop sending signals that everything is under control,” Wang Wenli, a Chinese diplomat in the department of boundary and oceanic affairs had reportedly told a visiting Indian media delegation last week.
