General MM Naravane held a discussion with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh upon the return of the Indian Army chief from the Leh border, where Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto border between the two countries.
General Naravane was on a visit to the frontier areas on Friday, in a bid to take stock of the situation after Indian and People's Liberation Army (PLA) troopers clashed at the border after Chinese troops intruded into the Indian side of the LAC.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat were also present during General Naravane's call with the Union Defence Minister on Saturday, sources said. During the meeting, General Naravane is said to have given Singh an overview of India's preparedness along the LAC.
The ongoing face-off was precipitated after Indian and Chinese troops came to blows in eastern Ladakh, near Pangong Lake, in early May. Troopers from both the sides are said to have sustained injuries in the fistfights that took place at the time. Another fisticuff is said to have taken place in the Naku La sector in Sikkim around the same time.
China has reportedly raised objections over the construction of a road by India in the Galwan river area in Leh, which lies well within the Indian territory. The build-up of Chinese troops in the sector followed the construction of a road in the area, well within the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control.
India and China share a 3,488-km long border from Leh to Arunachal Pradesh, which is disputed at several parts due to different perceptions of the Line of Actual Control. To the credit of both sides, not a single bullet has been fired by either of the armies in nearly four decades.
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