Barely two months after intruding into ladakh, Chinese troops again transgressed the line of Actual Control (lAC) in Chumar sector of ladakh on June 17, vandalised some observation posts and took away an Indian high resolution surveillance camera. The camera was returned nearly a fortnight later on July 3 following strong Indian protests.
The Indian Army is at an advantageous position in Chumar sector as it dominates the heights and is logistically better connected in comparison to China. The camera was placed on a hill top at the height of 13,000 feet to monitor the activities of the Chinese army across the lAC and a road connecting the strategic Western Highway.
Given this position, China had insisted that India dismantle some of its sheds and observation posts near the lAC when the month-long face off between the armies of the two countries took place in April. The Indian Army had dismantled one tin shed sheltering a camera. However, the Army had left behind other surveillance equipment, including more cameras. These included the camera taken away by China.
Officials said some of the Chinese officers, who intruded into the Indian territory on June 17, spoke Hindi and warned the local population to vacate the area, which they claimed belonged to China. The Army learnt of the intrusion when its patrol reached the spot and saw the Chinese patrol retreating from the area.
However, the Government and Defence Ministry kept this as a well-guarded secret. It is not even known whether Defence Minister AK Antony raised the issue during his recent visit to Beijing.
After the media exposé of the Chinese intrusion, the Army admitted here on Tuesday the Chinese troops came some metres inside the Indian territory and took away the non-functional camera. Stating that the unmanned camera was located on a hill top right on its perceived boundary, the Army said its nearest post was deployed six to seven km from the camera position. The cameras relayed the Chinese movement to this post for immediate action.
After detecting the missing camera, the Army immediately lodged a protest with the local Chinese commanders in a flag meeting in Spanngur Gap, Chushul on June 19. The camera was finally returned on July 3 in another flag meeting, officials said. They also said at no stage a face-off took place between the two armies.
The Indian Army and the People’s liberation Army (PlA) both routinely patrol this region. Under a 2005 protocol on patrolling on disputed sections of the lAC, armies of either side show a banner to the other on coming face-to-face and retreat.
The 21-day face-off between the two sides in the remote Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector on April 15 was triggered by construction of an observation tower in Chumar division which had to be subsequently dismantled by the Army on May 5 before the crisis was defused.
China also objected to construction of various infrastructure projects like roads and airfields in Chumar region and Daulat Beg Oldie as Beijing perceived these projects as a threat to its strategic interests like Karakoram Highway and Western Highway.
Chumar, a remote village on the ladakh-Himachal Pradesh border, is claimed by China as its own territory and the Chinese also intruded into Indian airspace in this region last year and even during the face-off. This area is not accessible from the Chinese side whereas the Indian side has a road almost to the last point on which the Army can carry loads up to nine tons.
The latest incident came days before Defence Minister AK Antony’s visit to China last week. While Defence Ministry officials refused to say if this incident was discussed, they, however, pointed out that the joint statement after Antony’s parleys with his Chinese counterpart General Chang Wanquan stressed on the need to have strategic communication between the two armies at the border.
In this backdrop, India and China have now initiated steps to evolve a mechanism to have a hotline between senior officers of the two armies to avoid such incidents in future. The hotline is likely to be on the lines of a similar mechanism between India and Pakistan wherein the Director-General Military Operations (DGMO) of the two countries are in regular touch to sort out issue on the line of Control (lOC).
The two leaders also decided to hasten the process of having a Border Defence Co-operation Agreement to maintain peace and tranquility on the lAC. China had given a proposal in March and India gave counter proposals in May and China is now reviewing them.