India and China have engaged in protracted skirmishes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)

NEW DELHI: Tensions remain high at the site of the violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh last week, with both sides continuing to maintain additional troops in the area, even as the Army is bracing for “a hot summer” all along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) this year.

Indian troops are keeping “a close watch” on the activities of People’s Liberation Army soldiers in the Pangong Tso sector of eastern Ladakh, where over 250 soldiers from the two sides had clashed with rods, batons and stone-pelting at three locations in the disputed `Finger 5’ (mountainous spur) area on May 5 and 6, said sources.

Both India and China had rushed additional troop reinforcements to the area as “a show of strength” though the direct face-off, in which a couple of officers and several soldiers from the two sides were injured, was resolved after a brigadier-level dialogue.

“There is no escalation as of now. The local commanders are in touch over the hotline. We are in a wait-and-watch mode to see if they withdraw or thin down their troops in the area,” said a source.

With the PLA this year already needling Indian forces in several spots along the 3,488-km long LAC from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, the assessment is India will have to remain particularly vigilant in terms of face-offs and “transgressions” during the May-October time frame.

Both the rival armies do engage in aggressive patrolling in the three sectors of LAC -- western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal) – during summers to lay claim to disputed areas. India records “around 300-400 transgressions” by the PLA every year, with China dragging its feet in even “clarifying” the LAC till a final border settlement is achieved.

But what has come as a surprise is PLA’s assertiveness in some “new areas” like

Naku La in north Sikkim this year. Located ahead of Muguthang at an altitude of around 17,000-feet, Naku La was the site of the second violent brawl between around 150 Indian and Chinese soldiers on May 9, which also left several injured on either side.

Naku La does not figure in the 23 “disputed and sensitive areas” that witness frequent transgressions and troop face-offs. Pangong Tso figures high on the list, with the other areas in Ladakh being Trig Heights, Demchok, Dumchele, Chumar and Spanggur Gap.

In Arunachal, the flashpoints are Namkha Chu, Sumdorong Chu, Asaphila, Dichu, Yangtse and the so-called “Fish Tail-I and II” areas in Dibang Valley. In the middle sector, in turn, the disputed areas include Barahoti, Kaurik and Shipki La.