Arunachal MP alleges Chinese incursion, Indian army disputes

An Arunachal Pradesh MP claimed on Wednesday Chinese troops intruded into India and built a bridge in the border state, an assertion the Indian Army appeared to reject, citing "different claims" by the two nations over areas along the Line of Actual Control.

Tapir Gao, the Lok Sabha member from Arunachal (East) seat, claimed Chinese troops made an incursion into the Indian territory last month and built a bridge over Kiomru Nullah in Chaglagam circle. Some local youths noticed the bridge on Tuesday, he told journalists.

The Indian Army, in a communique, said the area being referred to was called the 'fish tail', and that the two sides had different perceptions about the alignment of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The terrain, the communique said, was thickly vegetated and all movement happened on foot along nullahs and streams, and that during monsoon temporary bridges were constructed by the patrols of the two armies for movement.

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, the communique said.

Gao alleged that the incursion happened approximately 25 km northeast of Chaglagam at a place which is "very much inside the Indian territory".

In October last year, an Indian Army patrol had come across Chinese troops in the area, Gao claimed.

"As a representative of the state, I have requested the Centre for development of infrastructure along the Sino-Indo border in Arunachal Pradesh like construction of a road between Hayuliang, the district headquarters of Anjaw, and Chaglagam and beyond," Gao told journalists. He said it was necessary to stop such incidents.

The condition of the road between Hayuliang and Chaglagam is very poor and virtually no road exists beyond that point, he said.

The communique from the Indian Army, meanwhile, said India and China have well established diplomatic and military mechanisms to address all issues in the border areas.

The two sides agree that maintenance of peace and tranquility in all areas of India-China border was a prerequisite to smooth development of overall bilateral relations, the communique said.

Both countries have also agreed to work towards a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question on the basis of 2005 agreement on political parameters and guiding principles, it added.

India and China share a nearly 4,000-km border, which is not clearly demarcated, leading to incursions by the two sides into each other's territory.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh is part of south Tibet, which it had annexed in 1950.