Army Denies Ordering Evacuation Of Villages Near India-China Border In Sikkim

While India and China continue to reinforce their positions in Doklam militarily, the Indian Army has denied ordering evacuation of villages in areas like Kuppup, Nathang and Zuluk near the border in Sikkim, Times of India has reported.

The daily, citing sources in the government, said that there has been "some build-up" of troops, tanks, artillery and air defence units in the Tibet Military District by the People's Liberation Army (PLA), but there is "no major or unusual mobilisation" towards the Line of Actual Control.

"Any major PLA mobilisation towards our border will be detected since it will take around a week. Our well-acclimatised troops, backed by artillery, rockets and other heavy-calibre weapons, are currently deployed in the 'no war, no peace' mode. They are ready to respond quickly if required," the source was quoted as saying.

On Thursday, News18 had reported that the Army had asked villagers living in Nathang, located 35 km from the site of the two-month-old stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops, to immediately vacate their houses.

This development comes soon after the Indian Express reported about the movement of thousands of soldiers of the 33 Corps of the Indian Army looking after Sikkim’s border with China. According to the report, Army has advanced its schedule for 33 Corps’ Operational Alert, a two-week event in which all Army units move to familiarise themselves with their likely area of operation.

The Indian Express report also states that PLA has increased presence of troops in the vicinity of the stand-off site. PLA has reportedly pitched around 80 tents at a distance of around one kilometre from the site.