New Delhi, June 16: India on Tuesday accused China of failing to adhere scrupulously to the June 6 agreement reached between senior military officials of the two countries for de-escalation of the situation in Eastern Ladakh where troops from both the sides have been involved in a face-off since early May.
In first official reaction to the violent clashes with the Chinese troops that left 20 Indian Army personnel dead, the External Affairs Ministry said that both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side.
The official spokesperson of MEA, Anurag Shrivastava said, “Given its responsible approach to border management, India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the LAC. We expect the same of the Chinese side.”
While stating that India remains firmly convinced of the need for the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas and the resolution of differences through dialogue, he said, “At the same time, we are also strongly committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
He also said that “India and China have been discussing through military and diplomatic channels the de-escalation of the situation in the border area in Eastern Ladakh.”
The violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops took place in Galwan Valley came at a time when de-scalation process was on.
The massive flare-up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) also came after 1975 when casualties had taken place.
The violent face-off prompted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to hold a high level review meeting in which the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishanker and three service chiefs were present.
The Defence Minister also briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the operational situation prevailing at Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh.
