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Chinese servicemen invade Indian state of Uttarakhand

Till now Beijing considers Uttarakhand disputable and puts forth territorial claims
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

NEW DELHI, July 25 (Itar-Tass) - Chinese servicemen have violated the line of actual control and invaded the northern state of Uttarakhand, government sources reported on Thursday.

This was a demonstration from Chinese military units. Soldiers overrun positions, which had been controlled by China before India’s jurisdiction. Till now Beijing considers it disputable and puts forth territorial claims. It is not incidental that the invasion coincided with the completion of the Indian-Chinese talks, which were aimed at strengthening stability on the line of actual control.

“The Indian government voiced serious concern over the invasion of Uttarakhand. Till now Chinese soldiers have invaded the states of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as Jammu and Kashmir in the west and in the east of the line of actual control where several incidents occurred last month,” government members told journalists.

On July 16, over 50 Chinese soldiers crossed the Indian border on the disputable section in Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir). Earlier, Chinese helicopters violated Indian air space.

Due to the recent incidents and the need to strengthen security on the border with China, the Indian government took a decision to form three mountain ranger corps numbering 50,000 servicemen who will be the base of a future group in the states bordering with China - Western Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir.

The unsolved border problem is one of the most painful issues in relations between India and China. In the middle of April Chinese servicemen invaded the Indian sector of Daulat Beg Oldi in Ladakh and set a military camp there. India was forced to send its contingent. After several rounds of talks the parties returned to their positions and agreed to observe the status quo on the border.