‘Indian patrol party has not been detained at China border’

There has been no detention of Indian soldiers at the borders. We categorically deny this. It only hurts national interests when media outlets publish unsubstantiated news

As tensions simmer between India and China in the Ladakh sector that has seen a worrying troop build-up and military reinforcements from both sides after a nasty border brawl in early May, the army on Sunday strongly denied reports in some sections of the media that an Indian patrol party was detained by Chinese forces last week and later released.

“There has been no detention of Indian soldiers at the borders. We categorically deny this. It only hurts national interests when media outlets publish unsubstantiated news,” army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand said. Union minister Jitendra Singh shared the army’s statement on his Twitter handle and described the reports as “dangerously fake news.”

The detention of a border patrol by an adversary is seen as a provocative act that can bring rival forces perilously close to conflict, experts said.

Standoff along line of actual control is not confined to a small area, has triggered an increase in troop numbers on both sides at multiple locations and seems to suggest a greater design rather than adventurism by local Chinese commanders, as reported by HT on Sunday.

Indian and Chinese soldiers are eyeball-to-eyeball at four different locations in the sensitive sector and the total number of soldiers on both sides at these flashpoints is estimated to be around 3,000. “Wherever Chinese have sent more troops, we have matched their numbers. Some structures have come up on both sides,” officials said.

Chinese soldiers are said to have constructed bunkers and structures in some disputed areas. Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane made a lowkey visit to Ladakh on Friday for security review as tensions grew near Pangong Tso and three pockets in Galwan Valley region.

China’s state-run media has described latest tensions as worst since 2017 Doklam standoff. Soldiers on both sides are showing restraint and local commanders are meeting almost daily to de-escalate. However, experts said ending it would require political and diplomatic intervention.