TAWANG: Amid reports of face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday said such incidents were “transgression, not intrusion” and that the situation was normal.
“China doesn’t consider the McMahon Line....Arunachal Pradesh shares a very long border with Tibet and China, stretching 1,200 km. Our soldiers go taht side, their patrolling parties sometimes cross over to our side. It is transgression, not intrusion. Transgression has taken place, no doubt. It keeps happening. This is not a new thing,” he said, adding that the border in the area is not "defined".
Khandu was interacting with the media ahead of the inauguration of the 14th edition of the International Tourism Mart in Tawang.
“Our armed forces are guarding the border very well. At present, it is not a matter of concern,” the chief minister said.
Recently, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Director General Shatrujeet Kapur said in Alwar that Indian and Chinese troops had faced off at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh, with some of the face-offs continuing.
The Ministry of External Affairs later said the situation in border areas “gets disturbed from time to time” when Chinese forces deviate from established patrolling patterns.
Khandu said the face-offs did not affect tourism in the state.
Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who addressed the press conference alongside Khandu and Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, said attempts were being made to create false narratives and that it was a shared responsibility to counter them.
"This is Narendra Modi's India. Rest assured borders are secured. There is no matter of concern.... We all should do our best to diminish these false narratives which are being created with ill intent," Shekhawat said.
