Army chief visits Sikkim as stand-off continues

Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Thursday arrived in Sikkim to take stock of the situation amid a stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops along the border.

Informed sources said the Army chief will review the security situation and may visit forward areas. But he will avoid the area where the stand-off is taking place.

Gen Rawat will return to Delhi on Friday.

India and China have accused other's troops of crossing the border.

Indian officials say the People's Liberation Army breached the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Sikkim sector and destroyed two makeshift Indian Army bunkers this month in Lalten area of Doka La sector. China has denied this.

The stand-off is unlikely to end soon as flag meetings held so far have remained inconclusive. China declared on Thursday that there will be no discussions on the issue until Indian troops which it says have entered its territory leave.

The Chinese Defence Ministry has accused the Indian troops of trying to prevent road construction by the Chinese.

China warned India on Thursday that it will escalate the current border row if it did not withdraw troops from "Chinese territory".

The Indian Defence Ministry and the Army have made no official comment on the incident.

Doka La is located on the tip of Chumbi valley, and the area where the aggression reportedly took place is not far from the Siliguri corridor.

The area is a tri-junction of India, Bhutan and Tibet plateau. China is extending a rail line close to the border.

On the Indian side too, a road is being built close to the border which will ultimately be connected to the Siliguri corridor.

Also, Bhutan has border disagreement with China at two places. China already has two roads in the tongue shaped Chumbi Valley.

China has refused to let the first batch of around 50 Indian pilgrims who were to travel to Kailash Mansarovar Lake in Tibet go through the Nathu La route.

The development comes amid bilateral tensions including India's boycott of the One Belt One Road summit in Beijing and China scuttling India's NSG bid.

--IANS

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