Tag: LAC

  • Firepower enhanced along LAC in Arunachal

    Express News Service

    TAWANG:  Indian Army has increased firepower along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh with upgraded guns and also inducted new guns. Upgraded air defence and Bofors guns have been inducted and Ultra Light Howitzer (ULH) M777 deployed.

    Captain Sariya Abbasi said on Wednesday, “Upgraded L 70 has been deployed in the area as a potent weapon system against low-level air threats to include unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned combat vehicle, helicopters and modern aircraft.” Captain Abbasi is Troop Commander of Army Air Defence Unit deployed close to the LAC.

    L70 Air Defence Gun is a legacy equipment. Two hundred such guns have been indigenously upgraded by Indian defence PSU BEL. These can fire 300 rounds per minute at a range of more than three kms. The gun has been added with automatic target tracking capability, incorporated with high resolution electro optic sensor to include day and night television camera, thermal imaging camera and laser range finder.

    Another significant addition is the upgraded Bofors guns with automatic tracking capability. Captain Prateek, serving with the Bofors regiment in Bum La sector, explained its advantages. “This has added speed and accuracy in providing gun support to the Infantry Units deployed ahead on the LAC.” Bofors has an effective range of over 40 kms.

    Ultra-light Howitzer M777 guns have been added to the army’s arsenal. This gun gives the army the option of moving it to hilltops underslung a helicopter. A total of 145 M777s guns were commissioned in 2016 for Rs 5,070 crore. It can be transported to high altitude areas by helicopter. More than 70 guns have been inducted.

  • China’s continuous build-up matter of concern: Army Chief Staff Gen MM Naravane

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The military build-up by China in the eastern Ladakh region and new infrastructure development to sustain the large-scale deployment are matters of concern and India has been keeping a close watch on all the activities by the Chinese PLA, Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane said on Saturday.

    He said if the Chinese military maintains the deployment through the second winter, it may lead to an LoC-like situation (Line of Control) though not an active LoC as is there on the western front with Pakistan The Chief of Army Staff said if the Chinese military continues with its deployment, the Indian Army too will maintain its presence on its side which is “as good as what the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) has done”.

    Indian and Chinese militaries have been on a standoff in several areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh for nearly 17 months though both sides disengaged from a number of friction points this year following a series of talks.

    “Yes, it is a matter of concern that the large-scale build-up has occurred and continues to be in place, and to sustain that kind of a build-up, there has been an equal amount of infrastructure development on the Chinese side,” Gen Naravane said at the Indian Today conclave.

    “So, it means that they (PLA) are there to stay. We are keeping a close watch on all these developments, but if they are there to stay, we are there to stay too,” he said. Gen Naravane said the build-up and the infrastructure development on the Indian side are as good as what PLA has done.

    “But what this would, especially if they continue to stay there through the second winter, definitely mean that we will be in a kind of LC (Line of Control) situation though not an active LC as is there on the western front. But definitely, we will have to keep a close eye on all the troop build-up and deployments to see that they do not get into any misadventure once again,” he said.

    To a question, Gen Naravane said it is difficult to understand why China triggered the standoff when the world was reeling under the COVID-19 pandemic and when that country had certain issues on its eastern seaboard.

    “While all that is going on, to sort of open up one more front is very difficult to understand or fathom. But whatever it might have been, I do not think they have been able to achieve any of those because of the rapid response done by the Indian armed forces,” he said.

    Asked to comment on the overall situation in eastern Ladakh, Gen Naravane referred to a recent statement by a spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs and said he had clearly mentioned that whatever has happened on the Northern border is because of the massive build-up by the Chinese side and the non-adherence to various protocols. “So that is very clear as to what was the trigger for all that which has happened,” Gen Naravane said.

    The Army Chief said following the standoff in eastern Ladakh, Indian Army realised that it needs to do more in the area of ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance). “So that has been the thurst of our modernisation over the last one year. Similarly, other weapons and equipment that we thought we need for future, those have got our attention also,” he said.

    The border standoff between the Indian and the Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year in eastern Ladakh following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

    As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the Gogra area in August. In February, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in line with an agreement on disengagement.

    Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive sector.

  • India, China 13th round corps commander talks to be held in next few days: Sources

    Sources said in the recent past, the Chinese have upped the ante as they have started transgressing into disputed territories as could be seen in Uttarakhand's Barahoti and Arunachal's Tawang sector.

  • India, China troops engage in fresh stand-off at Arunachal’s Tawang; PLA men detained temporarily

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a brief face-off at LAC near Yangtse in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh last week. While it lasted for a few hours, Indian Army troops reportedly detained a few PLA soldiers. 

    Confirming the incident, a source said, “The troops of the Indian Army and the PLA happened to meet at LAC last week where a physical engagement took place. No damages were reported on either side. 

    The situation was finally resolved according to the established protocol as agreed by both sides.

    The face-off comes weeks after the incident at Barahoti in Uttarakhand in August when PLA troops crossed over to LAC on the Indian side on horses and remained there for a few hours before leaving. 

    The New Indian Express had earlier reported that there has been a continuing standoff in Eastern Ladakh where around 60000 troops are deployed along the LAC. Stand-offs at Hot Spring, Despang and Demochok still persist. Disengagement of troops along with their tanks, artillery and heavy vehicles has taken place from Galwan, Gogra and North and South banks of Pangong tso.

    Last year, physical scuffle took place Naku La pass area in Sikkim and Kalapani area which were resolved through dialogue between the local commanders of the two sides. 

    “The India and China border has not been formally demarcated and hence there is a differing perception of the LAC. Both sides undertake patrolling activities up to their line of perception,” the source quoted above said.

     The length of LAC is 3488 kms, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is divided into three sectors of Eastern, Central and Western Sector. China has been claiming Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as its territory. It has been staking claims on some other areas which India has maintained to be its land.

  • Chinese Air Force’s presence across LAC won’t affect our operations: IAF chief Chaudhari

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari on Tuesday said that the  presence of China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) along the LAC is not going to have any effect on the IAF’s operations.

    Addressing the media during his first press conference ahead of the 89th Air Force Day, ACM Chaudhari said, “Chinese PLAAF is still present along the LAC. This is not going to affect our air operations. For the air force, it will not make much difference.”

    It was a few days back that the Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane had said that the heavy presence of Chinese soldiers along the LAC is a matter of concern. The Air Chief also said that the PLAAF was developing airstrips but “they have a huge penalty of high altitude.”

    The weight carrying capacity of the PLAAF aircraft comes down heavily due to a rarefied atmosphere at the high altitude of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

    ALSO READ: Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari takes charge as new Chief of Indian Air Force

    “We are fully committed to integration and jointness. The process and structure have to cater for future warfare,” said the Air Chief on the issue of the theatre command. However, he also maintained that the doctrine of each service needs to be kept in mind.

    India is reorganizing and integrating its armed forces into a theatre command where the three services will be integrated under one commander and every theatre assigned a fixed area for operational duty. At present, the three services of the Army, Navy and Air Force have their own commands and approach operations discretely.

    On the induction of the S-400 air defence system, he said, “Hopefully, the first squadron should be inducted within this year.”

    “There are four MiG 21 squadrons. We plan to retire them all in the next three to four years,” the IAF chief said.

    The Air Chief also denied reports of the air force conducting a two-finger test on a woman officer in Coimbatore who had accused a fellow IAF officer of rape. “Two finger test in the Coimbatore rape case was not done. It was misreported.” said the Air Chief, adding that a detailed inquiry will be conducted.

  • Border incidents with China will continue till agreement is reached: Army chief General MM Naravane

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Border incidents between India and China will continue to occur till a boundary agreement is reached between the two countries, Army Chief General MM Naravane said on Thursday.

    Recent developments in Afghanistan “have definitely been the focus” of the Indian Army that continues to evaluate threat perceptions and formulate strategies accordingly, the Army chief added while addressing a gathering at the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

    Discussing China during the annual session meeting of the industry body, he said, “…we have an outstanding border issue. We are again well prepared to meet any misadventure that may occur as we have demonstrated in the past. Such kinds of incidents will continue to occur till such time that a long-term solution is reached, and that is to have a boundary agreement. And that should be the thrust of our efforts so that we have lasting peace along the northern (China) border.”

    Referring to Afghanistan, he said the Indian Army “or the armed forces for that matter continue to carry out periodic evaluation of threat perceptions”. He noted that based on those evaluations, the Indian Army formulates strategies and doctrines that are needed to meet future threats. “This is a continuous process that never stops,” he added. Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15.

    Expressing its concerns about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, India had on September 20 had said the country’s territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts.

    Naravane said that as far as the terrorist threat is concerned, the Indian Army is ready to meet all challenges. “We have a very dynamic counterinsurgency and counterterrorist grid in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a dynamic grid and it is based on threat perception and the escalating levels of attempts by our western neighbour (Pakistan) to push in more and more terrorists,” he said.

    Based on ups and downs, we also recalibrate our levels of operations, he added. The current border standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies erupted in May last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

    Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry. The row escalated after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 last year. Twenty Indian Army personnel laid down their lives in the clashes that marked the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades.

    In February 2021, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes with the Indian Army though it is widely believed that the death toll was higher. As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in Gogra area last month.

    In February, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in line with an agreement on disengagement. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in the sensitive sector.

    In 2017, Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in a 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction which even triggered fears of a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC.

    China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet while India contests it.

  • Garud commandos deployed along LAC in eastern Ladakh: BJP MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Operatives of the Garud Commando Force have been deployed in forward locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, Lok Sabha MP from the Union Territory Jamyang Tsering Namgyal said on Monday.

    A border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries had erupted in eastern Ladakh on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash between the two sides in the Pangong lake area.

    “Armed with Negev Light Machine Guns, Tavor-21 & AK-47 assault rifles, Garud Special Forces operatives have been deployed in forward locations along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh,” the BJP MP wrote on Twitter.

    “Thanks @narendramodi Ji @rajnathsingh Ji and team Modi Sarkar,” he added.

    The Garud Commando Force is the special forces unit of the Indian Air Force.

    On August 6, the Indian Army announced that the armies of both countries have completed the disengagement process and restored the pre-standoff ground position at the Gogra friction point in eastern Ladakh, in yet another forward movement towards overall improvement of the situation in the area.

    The disengagement process at Patrolling Point-17A (PP-17A) or Gogra was carried out around five months after the two sides conducted a similar exercise on the north and south bank areas of the Pangong lake, when they withdrew troops and weapons from the friction points.

  • 12th round of Sino-India military talks to be held on Saturday; India hopes for forward movement

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The 12th round of high-level military talks between India and China will take place on Saturday with a focus on achieving some forward movement in the disengagement in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh, sources in the military establishment said.

    The fresh round of Corps Commander talks are scheduled to start at 10:30 AM at Moldo border point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, they added. Sources said that the main focus of the talks will be on addressing outstanding problems in Hot Springs and Gogra.

    The latest round of talks will take place after a gap of more than three and a half months. The 11th round of talks had taken place on April 9 at the Chushul border point on the Indian side of the LAC. India and China have been locked in a military standoff at multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year.

    The two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February following a series of military and diplomatic talks. There was no visible forward movement in disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points as the Chinese side did not show flexibility in their approach on it at the 11th round of military talks.

  • India, China to hold 12th Corps Commander-level meet on Ladakh Standoff on Saturday

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The much-awaited 12th Corps Commander-level meeting between India and China on the Ladakh standoff will be held at 10.30 am on Saturday. The meeting will be held at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

    “The 12th round of the Corps Commanders is to be held in Moldo tomorrow,” a source confirmed, The meeting is to start at 1030am added the source. 

    It has been more than three months since the last Senior Higher Military Commanders Level (Corps Commanders) talk was held on April 9 this year. Between May 2020 and April this year, there have been 11 such talks.

    As first reported by The New Indian Express, it was in the first week of May 2020 that the troops of the Indian Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) clashed at the Finger 4 on the North bank of the Pangong Lake leading to the standoff. It further expanded to Hotspring, Gogra, Galwan, and also in Depsang and Demchok.

    ALSO READ |  De-escalation, disengagement debate in Eastern Ladakh stalls Chinese-Indian Army talks

    For the first time in the history of border dispute negotiations between India and China, the talks involved Senior Higher Military Commanders (SHCML) as otherwise Higher Military Commanders or the Division Commanders (Major Generals) were the senior-most officials meeting to resolve the disputes.

    There has been mutual disengagement at Galwan and North and South Banks of the Pangong lake.

    India and China are expected to discuss disengagement from the Hot Springs and Gogra Heights areas in eastern Ladakh, Army sources said, adding that the Indian side has made it clear that it would agree for de-escalation only if it is simultaneous and withdrawal of troops is equal. Besides this, the measures should address mutual security concerns.

    But there is a trust deficit between the two countries as the Chinese side overlooked all the agreements and Memorandum of Understandings this time. Also, there was a deadly clash at Galwan in June 2020 which led to the deaths on both sides.

  • Despite army rebuttal, Rahul Gandhi tweets media report claiming another Galwan like clash

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Despite the Indian Army’s rebuttal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday raked up media reports, which suggest that India and China have clashed once again in the Galwan valley like the violent face-off that took place at the same place on June 15 last year, in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives.

    “GOI’s use of foreign and defence policy as a domestic political tool has weakened our country. India has never been this vulnerable,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted along with the screenshot of the media report.

    The report also suggested that the Chinese Army has been building up along the Eastern Ladakh border and has deployed troops in large numbers.

    ALSO READ | Monitoring activities by Chinese military: Army on eastern Ladakh situation

    Earlier in the day, the Indian Army denied the reports saying the article was “riddled with inaccuracies and misinformation. It is reiterated that the news report mentioning that agreements with China have collapsed, is false and baseless.”

    The statement issued by Army said ever since the disengagement agreement in February this year, there has been no attempt by either side to occupy the areas from where the dis-engagement had been undertaken.

    “There have been no clashes in Galwan or any other area, as reported in the article. The intention of the reporter is malafide and not based on any truth,” it said.

    The Indian Army said India and China continued with negotiations to resolve the balance issues, and regular patrolling in respective areas continues.

    “The situation on the ground continues to be as hithertofore. PLA activities, including turnover of troops, continue to be monitored by the Indian Army,” it said.

    The Army said the news article has been published with uncorroborated facts and is strongly rebutted.