General Manoj Pande, the Chief of Army Staff (CoAS),on Sunday paid visit to troops and formations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh. Army Chief Pande received a briefing on the security environment and operational readiness.
Officials stated on Monday that the CoAS “complimented troops for maintaining keen vigil and also advised everybody to continue working with the same passion and commitment.”
General Pande’s visit occurred more than a month after an altercation between Indian and Chinese forces on the LAC in the Tawang area of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9.
The Indian Army stated in a statement in December: “On December 9, PLA soldiers made contact with the LAC in the Tawang Sector, which was fiercely resisted by our (Indian) troops. A few staff members from both sides of this confrontation suffered minor injuries.”
“Right away, all participants left the area. Following the incident, the local (Indian) commander had a flag conference with his counterpart to examine the matter in light of the established procedures for reestablishing calm and harmony “It read.
There are places of different perception along the LAC in the Tawang Sector of Arunachal Pradesh, where both sides police the area up to respective claim lines. According to reports, this has been the pattern since 2006.
The recent clashes along the LAC are a signal of a new normal that is a militarised LAC.