Mere painting of marks does not mean China encroached our land: Rijiju

Amidst reports of incursion by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Arunachal Pradesh, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the mere painting of marks in undemarcated locations doesn't mean the areas have been encroached upon.

Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, also said that overlapping of patrolling by Indian and Chinese forces does take place in the undemarcated areas along the Sino-Indian border but that does not lead to encroachment of Indian territory.

The union minister's comments came amidst reports that the PLA allegedly entered inside Indian territory in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh last week and they were camping in the Kapapu area of the district for some time.

 

Pictures of bonfires, painting of rocks and Chinese food materials found at the site have been shared on social media, the reports said.

"China can't take our land. Overlapping of patrolling does take place in the undemarcated areas. They are not allowed to construct anything permanent. There is strict vigil from our side. Mere painting of marks in undemarcated locations doesn't mean the areas have been encroached on," Rijiju told PTI here.

The union minister said India has been building infrastructure along the border and that will continue.

"But we will not allow anyone to come near the Line of Actual Control," he said.

The latest incident came at a time when the Indian army continues to engage in a stand-off with the PLA in Ladakh. The stand-off has been going on since April 2020.

India shares a 3,400 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh China continues to claim that Arunachal Pradesh has "always been" its territory, a claim India termed as "absurd" and "ludicrous".

China, which terms Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, routinely objects to Indian leaders' visits to the state to highlight its claims. Beijing has also named the area as Zangnan.

India has repeatedly rejected China's territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of the country.

New Delhi has also dismissed Beijing's move to assign "invented" names to the area, saying it did not alter the reality.