New Delhi, September 4: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Arunachal Pradesh Tapir Gao on Wednesday alleged Chinese intrusion into Indian territory. Tapir Gao said China has built a wooden bridge near Chaglagam, a village in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district. The BJP lawmaker also shared a picture of the bridge, which according to him is 60-70 kilometre inside Indian territory. Army Has Managed Situation Well Along China, Pakistan Borders, Says Chief Bipin Rawat.

"The log wooden bridge constructed in the month of August 2019 by Chinese Army over Doimru Nallah inside Indian Territory near Chaglagam (Military called "Fish Tail") in Anjaw Dist of Arunachal Pradesh (sic)," Gao wrote on Facebook sharing a picture of the bridge. "McMahon line is at a distance of approximately 100 km from Chaglagam, now if China makes a bridge at a distance of 25 km from Chaglagam, that implies China is already 60-70 km into our territory," he told news agency ANI.

"I do not blame the Army or those who are patrolling the area; there are no roads so how can they possibly access the area. I have confidence in the government. I want the government to look into it, I will also look into this. Roads need to be built here," the BJP lawmaker said. The Indian Army, however, denied any such incursions by Chinese troops. "There has been no such incursion. The area being referred to in the media report on ‘some electronic channels’, is the area of Fish Tail," an Army spokesperson said.

"Being an area of differing claims, troops routinely from either side patrol the area. In addition, civilian hunters and herb collectors also frequent here during summer months. There is no permanent presence of either Chinese soldiers or civilians in the area," he clarified. The Line of Actual Control with China traverses the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Bipin Rawat Calls Doklam a Disputed Territory: China Retaliates.

Chinese and the Indian Army almost came to blows in 2017 when Indian soldiers halted a road construction by China's People's Liberation Army at Doklam, an area close to Indian border claimed by Bhutan. Doklam is in Doka La plateau close to India's artery that connects its northeast with the rest of the country. It is contested between Bhutan and China.

The 73-day standoff Doklam stand-off ended following diplomatic negotiations but severely hit the already-strained ties between the countries that have a long-winding vexed border dispute. India and China have a decades-old dispute over a 3,448-km border, which is the world's 9th longest border. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as the part of South Tibet while India lays its claims to Aksai China. The two went to war in 1962.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 04, 2019 05:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).