IANS

New Delhi, Aug 31: There have been several border violations by Chinese troops in the past few months, including an incursion by a helicopter, but they are of not much concern as they are largely inadvertent, Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said Monday.

"There have been several violations and one incursion by a Chinese helicopter in past few months. It could have happened due to a navigational error but that does not justify it. It was taken up at the border personnel meet," Kapoor told reporters here. The general Monday assumed office as the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee on the retirement of Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta.

The army chief also said that the absence of a well-defined border with China also results in incursions.

"When intrusions take place, they are taken up at the regular border personnel meets which happen on an ongoing basis. We also go up to the Line of Actual Control as we perceive it to be. It (the situation) is not as concerning as the number of infiltrations are similar to the last year," said Kapoor.

However, Kapoor denied any firing incident along the India-China border.

The new Indian Navy chief, Admiral Nirmal Verma, asserted its capability to counter the growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean region.

"Each nation pursues its own interests by its presence in international waters. The Indian Navy has the sense of confidence that it can protect India's maritime interests," Verma maintained.