Chumar: India had advantage, yet acted sheepishly

New Delhi, July 10: The Chinese violated the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh's Chumar sector on June 17 and ransacked some of India's observation posts and also took away a surveillance camera. It was returned after the Indian side lodged a strong protest on July 3.

Why wasn't the information shared with the people by the government of India? The focus on the Uttarakhand floods also diverted the media's attention from the incident, perhaps.

But what is worrying is that the Chinese successfully tampered with the Indian security apparatus in Chumar even as the Indian Army enjoys an advantageous position in this region by dominating the heights and maintaining a better logistical connection than the Chinese.

According to a report, the camera, which was removed, was placed at a height of 13,000 feet to monitor the Chinese activities across the LAC. Yet, the Indian side couldn't abort the Chinese plans.

The report also said that the Chinese pressurised India to bring down some of its sheds and observation posts near the LAC after the month-long border row between the two countries in April. India, accordingly, dismantled one of the tin sheds sheltering a camera.

Sources also said that the Chinese officials who intruded into the Indian territory asked the local people to vacate the area in Hindi for they claimed that the area belonged to them.

The Indian government allegedly kept the facts hidden and it is yet not known whether India's defence minister A K Antony raised the issue during his recent visit to Beijing. It was only after the media exposed the June 17 incident that the army conceded to the fact that Chinese troops had indeed entered the Indian territory and took away a surveillance camera.

Was the camera a 'Made In China' one? Did the Chinese take it for verification? Does New Delhi have any idea?

OneIndia News