As many as 100 Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers reportedly crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Barahoti sector of Uttarakhand last month. According to sources,
the transgression occurred on August 30, however, the Chinese troops left the region in few hours.
They allegedly arrived on 55 horses, wreaked havoc on Indian infrastructure and fled before being halted by Indian troops. Officials from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are stationed
in the area.
According to security department sources, the PLA soldiers strolled around Barahoti for around three hours.
Meanwhile, when asked about the arrival of Chinese soldiers on the Uttarakhand-China border, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stated that he had no knowledge of such activity. "However,
the central government is constantly vigilant about border security and if any such incident arises, it would be reported to the media," he added.
The incident occurred amid a prolonged standoff between Indian and Chinese forces in eastern Ladakh, though both sides had completed disengagement in two crucial locations.
Also Read: Indian army kills one PAK militant and captures another during Uri infiltration
The dispute between India and China in the Central Sector (a 545-kilometre stretch of border with Tibet in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) spans 2,000 square kilometres in eight different
areas.
Barahoti is located in the Chamoli district of Uttrakhand, north of the Nanda Devi National Park, near the Chinese border.
After the eastern Ladakh conflict, India has been keeping a close eye on the LAC.
On May 5th of last year, a border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries had erupted in eastern Ladakh after a severe skirmish in the Pangong lake area. Both sides gradually
increased their deployment by bringing in tens of thousands of troops and heavy weaponry.
Last month, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the Gogra area after a series of military and diplomatic talks.
As per the disengagement agreement, both sides completed the evacuation of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in February.
In the sensitive region, each side has between 50,000 and 60,000 troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).