50,000 troops to keep up heat in Ladakh winters

India will not scale down its troop deployment in eastern Ladakh this winter despite the recent Demchok and Depsang patrolling agreement, said South Block officials aware of the matter. More than 50,000 security personnel have been deployed in eastern Ladakh in what is described as "eyeball to eyeball" deployment of Indian and Chinese troops, they added. Defence sources said deployment will not change for now till a larger de-escalation is achieved. The recent disengagement is a trust-building exercise.

After the 2020 clashes, China has ramped up infrastructure and brought forward a large contingent of security forces along the Line of Actual Control following which the Indian security forces made "mirror deployment", according to officials.



India and China resumed patrolling in Demchok and Depsang after disengagement of troops after the agreement on October 21 was reached. According to the agreement, the two sides will inform each other about patrolling to avoid troops coming face to face. Besides ground patrol, the two sides will also use technical means for surveillance, including drones, to monitor the disputed area.

Also on the cards is a meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination between the two countries, ET has learnt. Earlier, China had dismantled military infrastructure in the Depsang area that had been used to block Indian access. The structures at 'Y Junction', a critical access point, have been dismantled and at least two other Chinese posts that had been erected on the plateau have been removed.


China is in illegal occupation of 38,000 sq km in Ladakh and claims 90,000 sq km in Arunachal Pradesh. The undemarcated LAC has been a constant source of tension but both sides have managed it well through a bunch of protocols enshrined in the 1993 and 1996 peace agreements. China broke that code when it amassed large troops, leading to clashes and eventually killing of soldiers on both sides, according to officials.