India / Army denies 'unsubstantiated' reports claiming Indian soldiers detained by China

NEW DELHI: Indian Army on Sunday strongly rejected media reports which claimed that its soldiers were briefly detained by the Chinese forces in Ladakh.

The army also said that such "unsubstantiated reports" hurt country's national interests.

"There has been no detention of Indian soldiers at the borders. We categorically deny this. It only hurts national interests when media outlets publish unsubstantiated news," the Army said in an official statement.

The statement comes in the backdrop of heightened military activity on the border with China in Ladakh. The Indian Army moved additional troops to bolster frontline in east Ladakh in face of China’s continuing aggressive behaviour in four to five high-altitude locations along the unresolved border.

The serious nature of the escalation can be gauged from the fact that Army chief General M M Naravane himself visited Ladakh on Friday to take stock of the ground situation, as was reported by TOI.

The Indian military has clarified that they will not allow any kind of Chinese transgression in India territory and would patrol in those areas. The PLA has been clashing with Indian forces on patrol after entering the Indian side.

The escalation came after the Chinese forces intruded inside the Indian territory and carried out aggressive patrols with motor boats in the Pangong lake.