Indian Troops Foil China’s Incursion Bid In Ladakh

While India and China continue to reinforce their positions in Doklam militarily, border gaurds on Tuesday foiled two incursion bids by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ladakh resulting in stone pelting that caused minor injuries to people on both sides.

According to the Press Trust Of India, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) tried to enter the Indian side in two areas - Finger Four and Finger Five - twice between 6 am and 9 am. On both the occasions, alert Indian troops foiled their attempts. Some of the Chinese soldiers carried iron rods and stones, and in the melee there were minor injuries on both sides, the report said.

The situation was brought under control after the customary banner drill under which both sides hold banners before stepping back to their respective positions.

According to India Today, an early assessment by the Directorate of Military Intelligence says that the attempt "appears to be [a] deliberate attempt to provoke and heighten tension without use of lethal weapons”. The five-point intelligence assessment says that the Ladakh skirmish could be linked to the ongoing standoff in Doklam near the Sikkim border, and that the incident stands out because of the "unusual" use of force that "appears to be part of [a] considered design."

The brief skirmish was sparked after a Chinese patrol lost its way due to bad weather conditions and came across Indian soldiers on the Pangong Lake's northern bank near areas known as Finger Four and Finger Five. Finger Four is almost 5km inside Indian territory from the line of actual control (LAC).