A breakdown of a Chinese military vehicle carrying supplies to the 30-odd troopers patrolling the Line of Actual Control on horseback at Chumar led to the July 16-17 face-off with their Indian counterpart, Indian Army sources said here on Monday.
The vehicle carrying supplies was on its way to the troops in a territory about a km within the Indian side of the LAC in the Chumar region in southeast Ladakh, which China views as within its side of the LAC, when the vehicle -- reportedly a jeep -- broke down.
“The vehicle was carrying supplies for the Chinese troopers and the animals. If that vehicle had not broken down, may be they would not have come face-to-face with the Indian team and would have returned to their base within no time,” sources said, aadding: “Primarily, the Chinese patrol team would not have had any reason to stay back in the territory. Our team too reached on getting information that the Chinese have not returned on July 16 and a face-off ensued.”
But, as per the guidelines stipulated in the 1993 Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement, 1996 confidence building measures and the 2005 guiding principles for resolving the border dispute India and China in a banner drilling, which politely asked the other side to leave the territory and return to their base,” the sources said.
As per the pact the two sides peacefully disengaged and withdrew from the spot, they added.
“The Chinese patrol team returned to their side of the LAC immediately after their vehicle was repaired on July 17,” sources said.
There have been around 150 such transgression by the Chinese troopers along the 4,057-km LAC since January this year.
The latest incident came five days after two Chinese military helicopters tested Indian air defence preparedness and mechanism by flying too close to the LAC in the same Chumar sector.
Chumar has been in news in the recent months following the April-May three-week stand-off between soldiers from the two sides at Debsang bulge near Daulat Beg Oldi in northern Ladakh when the Chinese pitched tents and stayed put till a diplomatic and military manoeuvring led to their vacating the spot and returning home.
India had last week approved an Army proposal to raise a 50,000-man strong Mountain Strike Corps for the Northeast mainly focusing on an offensive against China in case of an aggression.