2 incursions by China in 3 days even as Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping talk

NEW DELHI: At a time when India and China are reaching out to settle the boundary dispute, two incursions by the People's Liberation Army of China have been reported in the Ladakh sector in the past three days.

The incursion attempts were reported in Demchok and Chumar areas of Ladakh sector in J&K. PLA soldiers were, however, promptly pushed back into their territory by Indian security personnel.

The incursion bids by the PLA came even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized on the need to find a solution to the boundary question during their meeting in Fortaleza in Brazil on Tuesday on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

The latest incident occurred in Charding Nilu Nullah Junction (CNNJ) in Demchok sector on Tuesday when PLA personnel entered the area on their vehicles in the wee hours claiming it to be Chinese territory, security establishment sources said.

The PLA soldiers who wanted to have a round of the area were stopped by Indian Army and personnel of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), a force which guards the India-China border.

After a 30-minute standoff followed by a banner drill where armies of both the countries warned each other against moving a step forward, the Chinese PLA returned to their side, sources said, adding that there was nothing unusual about the incursion.

The Chinese troops, riding on horses, had earlier entered through Chumar area on July 13 only to be confronted by Indian soldiers and after the usual banner drill between the two sides, the PLA patrol returned to their territory.

The incident took place at Patrol Point number 62, the sources said.

Located 300 km east of Leh, Chumar has been the epicentre of heightened activities of PLA which has been making increased attempts to enter through this region as India has a dominance in this sector.