- Thursday, March 06, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has begun active combat patrols over the north-easternmost state of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China after detecting “enhanced Chinese air activity”, NDTV reported citing sources.
According to them, fighter planes had to be scrambled “two-three times” in recent weeks to thwart the Chinese side, the report added.
The NDTV report cited top sources to say that the IAF launched the air patrols after finding Chinese jets flying close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two neighbours in Arunachal, a territory that China claims to be its own.
The latest mobilisation comes after troops from the two nuclear-armed neighbours clashed at the LAC on Friday (9) at Arunachal’s Tawang sector.
Meanwhile, Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh spoke on the issue in the Indian parliament where he said that the clash of last week saw physical scuffle between the two countries’ troops but the Indian soldiers “compelled the Chinese soldiers to return to their posts” and stopped a land-grab from happening.
The Indian troops pushed the Chinese back in a “firm and resolute manner”, Singh said, adding that there were “minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides” and the two sides “immediately disengaged from the area”.
He also said that no Indian soldier was killed or seriously injured in the clash. The opposition was not convinced though and staged a walkout.
Before his statement in parliament, the defence minister had separate meetings with India’s three military chiefs and prime minister Narendra Modi to discuss New Delhi’s response.
China, on the other hand, said the situation was “generally stable” on the border but did not comment on the clash, NDTV added.
“As far as we understand, the China-India border situation is stable overall. Both sides have throughout maintained unobstructed dialogue on the border issue through diplomatic and military channels, it is hoped that the Indian side will advance in the same direction as China,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
Such confrontations between the two nations had been taking place since 2006 because of “differing perceptions” of the border, the Indian government said.
“In certain areas along the LAC in the Tawang Sector in Arunachal Pradesh there are areas of differing perception, wherein both sides patrol the area up to their claim lines,” the sources added.
Border tensions between India and China saw an alarming escalation in June 2020, when clashes broke out at Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh, in which soldiers died on both sides.
