In response to China, who on Monday claimed that Indian troops "fired warning shots" at the south bank of the Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh, the Army stated that it was the People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers who fired rounds into the air. The statement read: "India, while is committed to disengagement and de-escalating the situation on the LAC, China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate. At no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to use of any aggressive means, including firing. It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres, while engagement at military, diplomatic and political level is in progress."
"[On Monday] it was the PLA troops who were attempting to close in with one of our forward positions along the LAC. When dissuaded by own troops, PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate own troops. However, despite the grave provocation, own troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner. The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility, however is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs. The statement by the Western Theatre Command is an attempt to mislead their domestic and international audience," according to the statement.
China had claimed that Indian Army illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and entered the south bank of Pangong Lake and the Shenpao mountain area, firing warning shots. "The Chinese border guards were forced to take countermeasures to stabilise the situation. Indian Army illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and entered the south bank of Pangong Lake and the Shenpao mountain area. During the operation, the Indian Army blatantly fired threats to the patrol personnel of the Chinese border guards who had made representations, and the Chinese border guards were forced to take countermeasures to stabilise the situation on the ground," the PLA statement read.
The fresh rift comes amid repeated provocations by the PLA along the Sino-Indian border at Ladakh, and rising tensions at the northeastern border with Arunachal Pradesh.