Leh (Jammu and Kashmir): Two Chinese helicopters reportedly violated the Indian air space in the recent months in Leh. The helicopters air-dropped some canned food in a barren land at Chumar, northeast of Leh, along the border on June 21.
The MI series helicopters were reported to the nearby defence post by local residents who live along the Pangong lake, prompting the Army Aviation Corps to rush its Cheetah and Chetak helicopters.
However, the Army could only find tell-tale signs left by Chinese helicopters which hovered in the Indian territory for nearly five minutes, sources said.
When contacted, Army Spokesperson for Udhampur-based Northern Command said that there was a report of a helicopter flying in the area south of Chumar, where India and China have differences in perception on the Line of Actual Control. It was reported by grazers.
A confidential defence document accessed by PTI shows that Chinese helicopters entered into Indian air space along Damchok area and Trig Heights in Ladakh and air dropped canned food containing frozen pork and brinjal, which had passed the expiry date.
Chinese People’s Liberation Army has been crossing over into the Indian side in this region quite frequently, with August reporting the maximum number of incursions.
Trig Heights also known as Trade junction, which connected Ladakh with Tibet in earlier days, is an area where Chinese patrol have frequented this year in June, July and August.
Chinese Army patrols have made 26 sorties in June, including two incursions by helicopters, and 21 in July.
The Chinese army had made 223 attempts last year and left tell-tale signs.
The Army spokesperson, however, tried to downplay these incursion attempts by saying, "There are a few areas along the border where India and China have different perceptions of the LAC. Both sides patrol upto their respective perceptions of LAC."
"Due to perceived differences in the alignment of LAC, the Chinese patrol does transgress beyond our perception of the LAC in a few areas. The pattern of transgressions has remained similar over a long period of time," the spokesperson said.
Incursions have taken place in eastern Ladakh and on the northern bank of Pangong Tso Lake. Chinese patrols come frequently on the North and South of this lake, whose 45 kilometres are on Indian side while another 90 on Chinese side.
India and China have been engaged in talks over the Line of Actual Control and had exchanged maps in 2002. In the western sector (East Jammu and Kashmir), the Samar Lungpa area, between the Karakoram Pass and the Chipchap river, is contentious, with Chinese maps showing the LAC to be south of the Samar Lungpa.
This is the northernmost part of the border, far to the north of Leh. But while the Indo-Tibetan Border Police operates north of the line the Chinese claim to be the border, they remain south of the Lungpa. South of the Chipchap River are the Trig Heights, comprising Points 5495 and 5459.
Chinese troops frequently enter the area and in fact, they have a name for Point 5459; Manshen Hill. The area, south-east of Trig Heights, called Depsang Ridge is also contentious. Differences were found when Chinese small-scale maps were interposed on large-scaled Indian ones.
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