China blocked the entry of Indian pilgrims travelling to Kailash-Mansarovar in Tibet from the Nathu La pass, on Tuesday. China accused the Indian Army for crossing the Sikkim border into Chinese territory and demanded their immediate withdrawal. Indian Army has dispatched reinforcement to the area. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat may also visit the area to take stock of the situation. Initial reports had suggested this had been done due to heavy rains on the other side. But the Chinese foreign ministry said it had taken the action on account of “security conditions” which included the border standoff in Sikkim.
The fate of 300 pilgrims waiting to enter Tibet through Nathu La hangs in the balance. So far, 1,080 of the total 1,430 will go through Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand. The seriousness of the situation can be gauged from the fact that top Indian Army officers, including the general officer commanding of the 17 Division, are camping in the region after the jostling and scuffle between the rival troops. There are almost 1,000 soldiers from each side in the troop confrontation underway for over the last 10 days, with the Army Headquarters in New Delhi closely monitoring the situation on an hourly basis, say sources.
The Chinese foreign ministry held India responsible on Tuesday for the border stand-off in Sikkim and said it would not allow pilgrims from India to visit Kailash Mansarovar, in Tibet, if the situation was not resolved. Beijing said the stand-off was caused because “Indian border personnel trespassed the Chinese border to obstruct construction so we have taken necessary actions”. But Indian sources maintain it was soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army who intruded into Indian territory, destroyed two bunkers near the Lalten post and abruptly stopped the batch of pilgrims headed for Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet.
The bone of contention is the attempt by the PLA to further extend the road it has already constructed in the strategically-located Chumbi Valley region at the tri-junction, which is just about five km from the Siliguri Corridor or the so-called “Chicken Neck area” that connects India with its northeastern states.
There was no response from the ministry of external affairs till the time of going to press. The face-off in the Doka La area at the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction showed no signs of abating on Tuesday, with the two sides having reinforced their positions with additional troops. The statement about the yatra follows China blocking the further movement of pilgrims through Nathu La.
Source: TOI