Defence Minister in huddle with HM, ITBP amid reports of PLA build-up

Days after visiting the India-China border in Nathu La in Sikkim, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had a briefing from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police guarding the Line of Actual Control.

ITBP Director RK Pachnanda met Sitaraman at her office on Monday and briefed her about the situation in LAC that serves as the de-facto border in the absence of a settled boundary between the two neighbours.

On Saturday, the Defence Minister had been to the border in Nathu La and Indian Army and air bases at Tezpur in Assam.

Sitharaman also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh at his office on Monday. Both the ITBP and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) -guarding the India-Nepal and India-Bhutan borders- are under the administrative control of the Home Ministry.

Though she tweeted pictures of her meetings with Home Minister and ITBP Director General, the Ministry of Defence did not provide any details.

A press release issued in New Delhi said Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre traveled to Headquarters of Eastern Air Command in Shillong in Meghalaya on Monday.

The back-to-back trips by Sitharaman and Bhamre to the border are aimed at reviewing all aspects of operational preparedness of Indian Army and Indian Air Force in the eastern theatre amid tension in relations between India and China.

Though the 72-day-long military face-off between the two neighbours at Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan ended on August 28, the reports indicated fresh build-up by Chinese People's Liberation Army near India-China-Bhutan tri-junction boundary point.

However, New Delhi on Friday had dismissed reports of fresh build-up by the Chinese PLA at the sight of the recent face-off and in its vicinity.