India, China armies ‘disengage’ after scuffles erupt in Ladakh

New Delhi: The Indian and Chinese armies on Thursday averted a major hostile situation as the two sides “disengaged” from a faceoff in Ladakh after delegation-level talks.

The patrolling parties of the Indian and China armies had come face to face on the banks of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh on Wednesday. A scuffle had broken out between the soldiers of the rival sides, as Indian troops patrolling the area refused to heed the objections to their presence in the area by Chinese soldiers. Both sides called for reinforcements in order to strengthen their position.

The Indian and Chinese soldiers also conducted the customary banner drill, under which both sides hold banners asking the other side to vacate the area.

“The Chinese side called for delegation-level talks, where brigadier-level officers from both sides met in the Chushul sector and decided to de-escalate the situation,” a source said. The situation had developed in the morning and was resolved by evening, he said.

“De-escalated and disengaged fully after delegation-level talks. There are established mechanisms to resolve such occurrences,” said a senior Indian Army officer. He said the incident occurred due to differing perceptions of the Line of Actual Control.

The Sino-Indian “matter” (face-off) between troops of the two sides in the Ladakh sector stands resolved and this shows the effectiveness of existing mechanisms in “how quickly the matter got resolved”, MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday.

Some two-thirds of the lake in eastern Ladakh is controlled by China. India and China share a nearly 4,000-km-long border.

In 2017, soldiers from India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2018 held an informal summit at Wuhan to improve ties between the two countries. In July this year, China tried to intimidate people celebrating the Dalai Lama’s birthday in Koyul village in east Ladakh by waving banners.