New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS): The Indian Army on Wednesday denied allegations about a Chinese incursion into the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Reports about a Chinese incursion into India surfaced after a Facebook post of a video clip by BJP MP Tapir Gao from the Arunachal East Lok Sabha constituency. Gao, who is also the BJP state president of Arunachal Pradesh, had alleged that a wooden bridge had been constructed over the Doimru Nallah near Chaglagam in Anjaw which is militarily called the "Fish Tail".
The Army issued a statement on Wednesday saying that there has been no such incursion.
"There is differing perception of the alignment of the LAC, as in many other areas. The terrain is thickly vegetated and all movements are undertaken on foot along nalas and streams. During monsoons whenever the nalas are in spate, temporary bridges are constructed by the patrols for their movement," said the Army in its statement.
According to the Army, since the area is of differing claims, troops from either side routinely patrol the area. In addition, civilian hunters and herb collectors also frequent the area during summer months.
"It is reiterated that there is no permanent presence of either Chinese soldiers or civilians in the area and surveillance is maintained by our troops. India and China have well established diplomatic and military mechanisms to address all issues in our border areas. The two sides agree that maintenance of peace and tranquility in all areas of India-China border areas as a prerequisite to smooth development of overall bilateral relations," the statement added.
The Army stated that India and China have also agreed to work towards a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question on the basis of the 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles.
Gao later took off the video post from his Facebook timeline. He informed that the video had been recorded by a BJP worker who had accompanied Army soldiers on a patrol of the area.