ITANAGAR: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has dismissed claims of Chinese incursion into Indian territory, calling the speculations 'baseless'.
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister emphatically stated that the painting marks spotted in undemarcated locations in Arunachal Pradesh should not be regarded as encroachment of these areas by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA).
His clarification comes amidst reports of territorial breach by the PLA in Arunachal Pradesh.
Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, admitted about the overlapping of patrolling by Indian and Chinese forces in the undemarcated areas along the Sino-Indian border but he ensured that it does not lead to encroachment of Indian territory.
The Union Minister's sharp response comes in the wake of reports suggesting that the PLA allegedly breached the border and unlawfully entered inside Indian territory in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh last week and the Chinese troops were camping in the Kapapu area of the district for some time.
As per reports, pictures of bonfires, painting of rocks and Chinese food materials found at the site are doing the rounds on social media.
"China can't take our land. Overlapping of patrolling does take place in the undemarcated areas. They are not allowed to construct anything permanent. There is strict vigil from our side. Mere painting of marks in undemarcated locations doesn't mean the areas have been encroached on," Rijiju told news agency PTI.
It is worth mentioning that India and China have been embroiled in a border dispute along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) since many decades.
The Chinese claim the entire territory of Arunachal Pradesh as their own. The border tussle has been a point of contention between both the sides and it had occasionally escalated into a brawl between the Indian and the Chinese forces along the border areas.
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