India-China standoff: PLA troops fired in air, our jawans exercised great restraint, says Indian Army

New Delhi: After China accused Indian troops of crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near the south bank of Pangong Tso Lake on Monday.

The Indian Army said, that while India is committed to disengagement & de-escalating situation on the LAC, China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate. At no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to use of any aggressive means, including firing.

In the instant case on 07 September, it was China’s PLA troops who were attempting to close-in with one of our forward positions along the LAC & when dissuaded by own troops, PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate own troops, the Indian Army said.

The Indian Army said that despite grave provocation, own troops exercised great restraint & behaved in a mature & responsible manner. We are committed to maintaining peace & tranquility, however are also determined to protect national integrity & sovereignty at all costs.

It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres, while engagement at military, diplomatic and political level is in progress, said Indian Army.

Also Read: China accuses India of crossing LAC, firing warning shots in Eastern Ladakh

Earlier, the Chinese government owned Global Times has claimed that Indian troops “illegally crossed” the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near Pangong Tso on Monday and accordingly Chinese troops were forced to take “countermeasures” to stabilise the situation.

“Indian troops crossed the LAC at the west section of the China-India border, into the Shenpao mountain region near the south bank of Pangong Tso Lake,” the Global Times reported quoting senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, a spokesperson of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) western command theatre. “The Indian side’s move seriously violated related agreements reached by both sides, stirred up tensions in the region, and would easily cause misunderstandings and misjudgments, which is a serious military provocation …”, the spokesperson said.