Siasat.com
New Delhi: Following two incidents of violent face-offs in eastern Ladakh on May 5-6 India and China have deployed additional forces and enhanced fortifications.
Sources said troop reinforcements and fortifications had taken place near the Line of Actual control (LAC) in areas like Demcho, Chumar and Daulat Beg Oldie. Recently, Chinese troops have also started construction activity and pitched tents near a river in Galwan Valley, The Times of India has reported.
“The Galwan area was a trigger point even during the 1962 war. This pitching of tents in disputed areas, which is often followed by some construction, has been a recurring tactic of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) over the last several years,” the source said.
Skirmishes at border are a normal activity. Army Chief Gen M M Naravane says, “It is business as usual . . . in fact you come to know when the face-offs occur at one or two places. But, our troops meet at 10 different places daily.”
He also added that “they [face-offs] also happen when there is a change of commanders on the ground. A new commander wants to show he is different from the others. There are a lot of dynamics on why a face-of occurs.”