BackChinese incursion may have been some signal: Arup Raha
It's been always a mystery the way incursions take place and the way they get timed with various visits, says Raha
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New Delhi: The Chinese incursion into Ladakh, timed with the visit of President Xi Jinping to India last month, could have been “some signalling", Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Marshal Arup Raha said on Sunday while asserting that the defence infrastructure is being boosted along the border with it.
He said India is “not giving ground to anyone" and mentioned that two air bases are being set up in Ladakh region as part of boosting the country’s defences. “It’s been always a mystery the way incursions take place and the way they get timed with various visits... It’s nothing new, it remains a mystery for all of us.
“You all know that in diplomacy a lot of signalling is done, especially so with our northern neighbour. It could be part of some signalling to my mind. But I am not going to guess what it really means," he told reporters at an interaction ahead of Indian Air Force’s 82nd anniversary celebrations on 8 October.
He was responding when asked to comment frequent incursions by China, including the recent one when Chinese troops pushed in civilians into Indian territory in Demchok in Ladakh to prevent work on an irrigation canal being built for the people of the area.
They had pitched tents in the Indian territory which was subsequently removed on 27 September after Chinese officials met India officials in New Delhi and a decision to restore status quo to 1 September was taken.
Some Chinese workers, who were constructing a road on their side, also crossed into the Indian side in Chumur in Ladakh and claimed that they had orders to build a road up to Tible, 5km deep inside Indian territory.
These incidents occurred at a time with the Chinese President was on a three-day visit to India from 17 September.
Queried about the incident, air chief Arup Raha ruled out any probe by the IAF into the issue. The plane “is parked in technical area in Palam which is under our control but whenever it deals with VVIP (movement) the total security is taken over the appropriate agency of the government not the air force.
“Now that the government of India has ordered an inquiry, Air Force will play a part in terms of information that is required but IAF on its own won’t order an inquiry," he said.
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