No Chinese intrusion since 2010, only ‘transgressions': Government

NEW DELHI: Incidents of Chinese troops crossing over to the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control ( LAC) may be getting reported from time to time. But as far as the government is concerned, there has not been a single intrusion by People's Liberation Army (PLA) personnel since 2010.

The union home ministry, in reply to a Parliament question last week, chose to play down the reported incursions by Chinese troops, describing them only as "transgressions". In fact, the total 1,612 "transgressions" between January 1, 2010 and August 4, 2014 were attributed to a mere difference in perception of the LAC between the two sides.

"No intrusion has been reported or taken place on India-China border, including Sikkim, during the last five years, However, there are cases of transgression due to difference of perception of the Line of Actual Control (LAC)," Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju stated in a written reply on August 13 to a question from Rajya Sabha MP Narayan Lal Panchariya.

Explaining the difference between intrusion and transgression, a Union home ministry official said that while intrusion would mean that the Chinese troops crossed over to Indian side of the LAC and stayed put, transgression implied that they had entered Indian territory only to eventually retreat to the Chinese side.

Giving details of the "transgressions" by PLA troops on the India-China border since 2010, Rijiju said as many as 334 cases had taken place this year until August 4, as compared to 411 in the whole of 2013, 426 in 2012, 213 in 2011 and 228 in 2010. A senior home ministry official told TOI that going by the 334 transgressions reported until August 4, there was every likelihood of the 2014 figure surpassing the levels seen in 2013 and even 2012.

Answering a related query - asked as part of the same question - regarding frequent intrusions by the Chinese Army into Sikkim region, the government said the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the force deployed on the India-China border, had reported a transgression in Dorjila in 2013 and another in Naku area in 2014.