Arunachal MP claims Chinese incursion into Anjaw; Army says no such incident took place

A BJP MP from Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday claimed that the Chinese Army intruded into the state's remote Anjaw district and constructed a temporary wooden bridge over a stream last month but the Army said no such incident took place.

Tapir Gao said the bridge was built over Kiomru Nullah in Chaglagam circle and some local youths noticed it on Tuesday.

When contacted, an Army spokesperson in New Delhi said no such incursion by the Chinese military took place, adding there is differing perception of the alignment in many areas along the Line of Actual Control - the de facto border between the two countries.

"The terrain is thickly vegetated and all movements are undertaken on foot along Nalas and streams. During monsoon whenever the Nalas are in spate, temporary bridges are constructed by the patrols for their movement," the official said.

"Being an area of differing claims, troops routinely from either side patrol the area. In addition, civilian hunters and herb collectors also frequent here during summer months," he said.

The official reiterated that there is no permanent presence of either Chinese soldiers or civilians in the area and surveillance is maintained by Indian troops regularly.

"Being an area of differing claims, troops routinely from either side patrol the area. In addition, civilian hunters and herb collectors also frequent there during summer months," he said.

Earlier, Gao said the area where the Chinese incursion took place is approximately 25 km northeast of Chaglagam and is very much inside the Indian territory.

"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," he 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.

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

The Army Spokesperson said India and China have well established diplomatic and military mechanisms to address all issues in relating to border areas.

"The two sides agree that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in all areas of India-China border areas as a prerequisite to smooth development of overall bilateral relations," he said.

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.