Government sources revealed that Chinese road-building teams entered around 1 kilometre inside Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh's Tuting area. They said civilian teams came for track alignment activities and returned when confronted by the Indian troops, leaving different road building equipment including excavators. Local villagers said Chinese team members included civilians and uniformed personnel.
Indian border patrolling personnel observed few Chinese civilians undertaking track alignment activity 1 kilometre inside the Indian territory. They said there was no “face off” between the two sides and that the issue is being resolved through an established mechanism. Locals said Chinese soldiers were working in road construction in that area and were intercepted near Bising village under Tuting subdivision by Indian soldiers. Locals said Indian soldiers confronted their Chinese counterparts and seized their road construction machines including two excavators. A villager informed that two excavators have been confiscated. “The road cutting is also clearly visible from the right bank of Siang river at Gelling which is about 7-8 km by aerial distance from the site. Indian and Chinese troops had pitched tents at the freshly cut road and had erected a boulder wall,” he said.
A local policeman was informed by the villagers, who alerted the ITBP deployed in Medog, near Bishing. ITBP personnel reached the area and asked the Chinese soldiers to return. While there was reportedly an exchange of words, the Chinese refused to yield. The Indian Army also sent a patrol to the face-off site.
