Amid Tensions With China, India Conducts Airborne Troop Insertion Exercise In Eastern Ladakh: Reports

India has conducted a troop insertion exercise along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, where the India Army has been locked in a tense military standoff with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China since May last month, India Today has reported.

Indian Army troops were airdropped from C-130J transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force in an area located at 14,000 feet.

The development comes just weeks after the 13th round of the Corps Commander-level meeting between India and China failed to resolve the issues on the ground. In a statement issued after the talks, India had said that the Chinese side did not come up with any "forward looking proposals" on the issue of disengagement and was "not agreeable" to India's "constructive suggestions" for the resolution of issues at the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh.

Earlier, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane had hinted that China's continued deployment and construction of infrastructure along the frontier could lead to the 'LoCisation' of the LAC.

"...if they continue to stay there through the second winter, it definitely means that we will be in a kind of LC (Line of Control) situation (referring to the Indian and Pakistani deployments on the LoC), though not an active LC as is there on the western front," he said.

China also appears to be increasing its activity along the frontier in the eastern sector of the boundary in Arunachal Pradesh. In September, Indian and Chinese patrols came face to face in an area near Tawang, leading to a minor stand-off. At least one report on the stand-off claims that the Indian Army had temporarily detained some PLA soldiers.

A report in the Hindustan Times on Tuesday (26 October) said the Chinese have intensified patrolling along the frontier in this sector. The PLA has also increased area domination patrols in the area, aimed at improving its control suppressing activities of the other side.

In the Zimithang sector, north of Tawang, the number of PLA patrols has increased from eight in 2018 and 2019 to 24 from January 2020 to September 2021, area domination patrols have gone up to 40 from 25 and visits by senior PLA officers went up from around 70 to 140.

The increased Chinese activity has been picked up because of heightened Indian surveillance along LAC using satellites, unmanned ariel vehicles and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, among other things, the report says. Earlier this month, reports said the Army had brought drones under the Aviation Corps from the Artillery to form a single cohesive unit for improved surveillance.

The Panagarh-based 17 Mountain Strike Corps of the Indian Army has reached Arunachal Pradesh for exercises to test its Integrated Battle Group (IBG) strategy, a report in ThePrint says.

India now has two offensive formations oriented against China. At the peak of tensions in eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army had reoriented 1 Corps, earlier focused on the western border with Pakistan, to the Line of Actual Control with China under the Northern Command.

Also Read: Army's 17 Mountain Strike Corps In Arunachal For Exercise Amid Increased Chinese Activity In Eastern Sector