The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has intensified patrolling in sensitive areas across the border in Arunachal Pradesh and has ramped up area domination patrols for surveillance and orientation of newly inducted troops with a noticeable increase in visits by senior PLA officers to forward areas to supervise military activities.

The sectors across which the Indian Army has detected PLA’s increased operational tempo include Lungro La, Zimithang and Bum La. However, counter measures have been taken by India to handle any contingency.

According to the Indian Army, the latest developments in the Lungro La sector showed PLA carried out 90 patrols in the area from January 2020 to October 2021 as compared to about 40 between January 2018 and December 2019.

Area domination patrols by PLA has also spiked between the pre- and post-Ladakh standoff timeline, shooting up from barely 10 during 2018-19 to 35 in from 2020 to September 2021.

In the Indian Army’s assessment, the increase in frequency of visits by top PLA officers is “due to the importance of the sector, current operational situation and familiarisation visits”, says an analysis in the activity matrix.

PLA patrols in the Zimithang sector climbed from eight in 2018 and 2019 to 24 from January 2020 to September 2021; area domination patrols rose from around 25 to 40, and visits by senior PLA officers went up from around 70 to 140, according to data shown to HT.

Also in Bum La, PLA patrols increased from 33 to 40, area domination patrols fell from 13 to 10, while visits by senior PLA officers went up from just one in 2018-19 to 25 in 2020-21 (till October). Bum La is also from where the Chinese forces made an ingress into Indian territory during the 1962 war.

Earlier this month, Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in a brief face-off near Yangtse in Tawang sector of Aruna­chal Pradesh and it was resolved within few hours following talks between commanders of the two sides according to established protocols.

In August also, around 100 soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) transgressed the LAC in the Barahoti sector in Uttarakhand on August 30, and the Chinese troops returned from the area after spending few hours.

Image Courtesy:  Business Standard