Kiren Rijiju trashed reports of Chinese encroachment 60km into Arunachal Pradesh and spoke of “confusion” due to lack of clear demarcation.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said people living on either side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in some areas of Arunachal Pradesh have differing perceptions of the boundary because it is not demarcated, leading to some confusion.
He trashed reports suggesting that China had intruded 60 km into Indian territory.
“It is not like they (China) came and captured our village. That is not the case. On certain land, they have cast an eye because there is no demarcation. Our people believe that our land extends further ahead, while the villages situated on the China side, including Tibetan and local people, claim that their land extends deep inside here. So, there is confusion,” he said in an interview to news agency IANS.
MEA clarifies military situation along the border
The comments came days after the Ministry of External Affairs said that the state of border affairs has ramifications for overall India-China ties, adding that the two sides have agreed to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to “avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation” along the border.
On August 11, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks while responding to a question on the military situation between India and China in the Arunachal Pradesh sector and whether recent reports of a standoff had been taken up diplomatically with China.
The Army and the ITBP have significantly strengthened their patrolling compared to earlier, Rijiju said.
“And the village that has been built at a location ahead of Longju, where there is a valley and a river confluence, is where the Chinese PLA constructed some structures and built a few buildings resembling a village. That land was occupied in 1959…Then, in 1962, they further consolidated and established their presence at that place. Right now, at our border point, our post is also present there. Travel and movement between China and India there have remained closed since after 1962. However, on the high ridges at the top, Chinese military activity has certainly increased,” he said.
“The concerns raised by our villagers regarding that are justified, and we should take them very seriously. But telling such lies that they have entered 60 kilometres inside, and posting unrelated photos from Bangladesh and elsewhere to claim that the Chinese Army has penetrated 60 kilometres inside Arunachal, spreading such misinformation lowers the morale of our Army personnel and security forces stationed there, and creates confusion in the country. This is not right,” he added.
