Short Note: Chinese Army Incursion in Barahoti

Recently, the Chinese Army transgressed LAC in Uttarakhand. What happened and what is current status?

Barahoti in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand is a midpoint on the 3440 kilometer Sino-India Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Chinese ingressions there are a routine affair and have been taking place since as back as 1954.

In 1958, India and China had declared Barahoti as a disputed territory where neither side would send its troops. In 1962 war, China had focused only western and eastern sectors and not Barahoti.

The recent transgression, as per media reports, happened on July 25 when a section of Chinese soldiers (section=10 soldiers) entered the area and asked the Indian herdsmen there to leave the area. Since the incident took place at a time when India and China troops are engaged in a standoff at Doklam plateau, it got immediate media attention. The government and ITBP consider it a minor transgression and say that it’s a routine affair at places where the boundary is not demarcated.