‘Transgressions by China happen, it’s not new’: Arunachal CM says no intrusion along LAC

Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu asserted that the situation along the LAC remained normal.

NEW DELHI: Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu on Thursday said transgressions along the India-China border were not new, asserting that the situation in the state’s border areas remained normal and that Indian armed forces were guarding the frontier effectively.“Transgression has happened, no doubt. But it keeps happening; it is not a new thing,” news agency PTI reported him as saying. Khandu added that the border was not clearly demarcated.Responding to questions about recent remarks on confrontations between Indian and Chinese troops at several locations along the Arunachal Pradesh border, Khandu said China did not recognise the McMahon Line, which separates Arunachal Pradesh from Tibet.“Arunachal shares a very long border with Tibet-China, nearly 1,200 km. So, patrolling parties from their side sometimes cross over to our side. It’s a transgression, not an intrusion,” he said, without specifying the incidents he was referring to.Last week, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur had said confrontations with Chinese troops continued at several locations along the border in Arunachal Pradesh, triggering a controversy.Khandu said he had come across the issue in news reports and described the matter as one that was being widely discussed.“The media has unnecessarily ratcheted it up. The situation right now is normal, and our armed forces are guarding the border very well. There is no matter of tension right now,” he said.

Khandu was speaking ahead of the inauguration of the 14th International Tourism Mart in Tawang, attended by Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and other dignitaries.Shekhawat said India’s borders were secure under the Narendra Modi government and there was no cause for concern. He also alleged that attempts were being made to create a false narrative around the issue.In August 2005, the Ministry of External Affairs had informed the Rajya Sabha that China disputed the legality of the McMahon Line dividing Arunachal Pradesh and the Tibet Autonomous Region.The ministry had also said that India and China had differing perceptions of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), with both sides conducting patrols in border areas and instances of transgression by Chinese military personnel occurring from time to time.