Chinese troops in Uttarakhand border a transgression: Manohar Parrikar

NEW DELHI: The incident regarding Chinese troops entering the border district of Chamoli in Uttarakhand is that of " transgression" and not "incursion", the government said today.

Responding to queries from the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the border has not been demarcated and the two sides have a "different perception" about it.

He said on July 22, two PLA soldiers entered 200 metres in Barholi area of Uttarakhand inside the Indian territory and the villagers warned them.

"The Line of Actual Control (LAC) has not been formally demarcated. So there is different perception about this of both the sides," he said, adding that there are mechanisms like flag meetings by both the sides to resolve such issues.

"During such meetings, we have made our protests to the Chinese side. There was no incursion, only transgression," Parrikar said.

The Minister said every year, there are about 400-500 incidents of transgression, but this year it has come down.

Parrikar also noted that it is the Indo Tibetan Border Police ( ITBP) under the Ministry of Home Affairs that takes care of the LAC and not the Defence Ministry.

The debate also saw a bonhomie between the Congress and the BJD. The Congress members were aggressive over the issue and asked Parrikar to respond.

When the Minister said the boundary has not been demarcated, Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD) strongly objected to it.

At this point, Congress President Sonia Gandhi intervened and lauded Mahtab for raising the point.