A Chinese soldier was on Friday apprehended on the Indian side of the LAC in Ladakh and was taken into custody by Indian troops, officials mentioned today. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldier is getting dealt with according to laid down procedures and the situations below which he crossed the LAC are getting investigated, the sources mentioned.
“During early hours of 08 January 21, a Chinese soldier was apprehended on the Indian Side of the LAC, in Ladakh, in area South of Pangong Tso lake. The PLA soldier had transgressed across the LAC and was taken into custody by Indian troops deployed in this area,” an official mentioned.
“The PLA soldier is being dealt with as per laid down procedures and circumstances under which he had crossed the LAC are being investigated. Further details are awaited,” the official added.
This is the second such case of a Chinese soldier straying across the LAC because October final year. In that month, a PLA soldier, identified as Wang Ya Long, was caught by Indian forces in eastern Ladakh’s Demchok sector. He was repatriated shortly just after by the Indian Army.
Troops from either side have been deployed along the LAC because friction erupted final year due to unprecedented mobilisation and forward concentration by Chinese troops.
The tension among India and China in eastern Ladakh peaked in June 2020 in a clash that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and an unspecified quantity of Chinese casualties. The two nations have moved tens of thousands of troops and weapons into the higher-altitude area because March and various rounds of talks have failed to substantially ease tensions.
In December, they agreed to continue work towards making sure comprehensive disengagement of troops in all friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh at the “earliest”. Yet, various rounds of diplomatic and military talks later, no breakthrough has been accomplished so far.