China occupies 640 Sq Km Indian Land, Antony Denies

Defence minister A K Antony rubbished the reports by a high-level committee of the government that China had occupied 640 sq km of Indian territory in Ladakh sector. He made it clear that no encroachment has been done by Chinese troops and all necessary measures are being taken to safeguard the country’s security.

Antony’s statement came after the issue of Chinese incursions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) stalled the Parliament on Friday with the Opposition demanding a clarification from the government. Amidst the uproar, he said that the National Security Advisory Board Chairman Shyam Saran in his report to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) did not state that China had occupied any part of Indian territory, rather the report talked about the progress of infrastructure projects.

Antony clarified that Shyam Saran had visited Ladakh from August 2 to 9 and submitted a report on the border infrastructure there.

However, the opposition parties were not satisfied with Antony’s statement and created uproar forcing the House to adjourn for an hour.

In can be noted that in April, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police had reported the government about the Chinese incursions and 640 square km in Rakinala in north-east Ladakh had been inaccessible to Indian troops. The Chinese soldiers had set up a camp crossing 18-19 km of Indian territory at Daulat Beg Oldie.