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Ladakh stand-off ends as Chinese, Indian troops withdraw

NEW DELHI: While Indian border troops challenged the PLA at Chumar in Ladakh over a road China was building, India's northern neighbour persisted in building two more roads into Indian territory: one in Sikkim and another in Ladakh several kilometres away from Chumar.Both these roads were destroyed by Indian forces upon discovery and a confrontation arose. However they were resolved without another standoff.Incursions by the Chinese army were unacceptable, Kiren Rijiju saysSources within the security establishment say even when Indian and China forces were locked in an eyeball to eyeball confrontation in Chumar for over a fortnight last month, China built a road about 200 metres into Indian territory in Sikkim. Notably, there is no border dispute with China in Sikkim and the development thus had shocked Indian forces who viewed it as clear case of Chinese aggression."As soon as Indian forces discovered it, the part of the road that stretched into Indian territory was broken down. This was objected to by the Chinese who said the road was well within their territory. It then took a long process of going through various records and convincing them that it was indeed our territory. Thankfully a standoff was averted," said a security establishment officer.Days before the Chumar standoff gained ferocity, sources say, China had similarly built a road 400 metre into Indian territory in the central part of Ladakh LAC. This too, sources said, was demolished by Indian forces even as China protested fiercely. A standoff was averted through talks at force level.Sources said as China showed during the Chumar crisis that it was not ready to give an inch despite the bonhomie in the backdrop between PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian forces too are asserting themselves more aggressively with government backing such a move.(The military stand-off had cast a long shadow over Chinese President Xi Jinping's three-day visit to India.)Though the Chumar crisis has been resolved with matters now being discussed at diplomatic level, sources say there could be more such assertion of ownership of territory from both sides in the near future. There have already been over 400 incursions by the Chinese into Indian land this year with three months yet to go for the year end. Last year, Chinese forces made forays into disputed territory even in freezing temperatures of -40 degrees.