Sept. 15 – China apparently seriously escalated the ongoing border conflict between itself and India as reports in the Indian press indicate that two Indian military personnel were shot and wounded after coming under fire from Chinese troops in the Indian-controlled Kerang area of Sikkim.
The injured soldiers were apparently members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, India’s regional border force patrolling the Line of Actual Control (LAC). They were injured in bullets fired from the Chinese side.
The incident occurred a fortnight ago but had been kept under wraps. It was confirmed in the India press on Monday by an anonymous “highly-placed intelligence source,” who is not authorized to give information to the media. ITBP officials at their headquarters in New Delhi declined to confirm the incident.
If factual, this marks the first incident where bullets have been fired since the landmark 1996 Sino-India agreement in which both sides pledged not to open fire, no matter what the provocation, as a part of confidence-building measures. Violations by Chinese troops crossing the LAC have increased in recent months.
Related Reading:
China-India Border Row Escalates
India Times Television Report of the Incident
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