Chinese troops take away security camera

More than a fortnight before Defence Minister A K Antony’s scheduled visit to China, the People’s Liberation Army troops had crossed over to the Indian side in the Chumar sector of southern Ladakh and took away a security camera of the Indian Army.

When India brought it to the notice of Chinese officials, they returned the camera on July 3, on the eve of Antony’s meeting with the top Chinese leadership to bolster bilateral military relations between the two countries.

The unmanned security camera was located at an elevated position, six km ahead of an Indian Army post. It was one among the several cameras installed by the Northern Command in that area to keep an eye on the Chinese movement across the border.

When the camera was taken away by the Chinese troops on June 17, it was defunct and powerless, claimed the Indian Army sources. India raised the issue with China at a border meeting two days later. But it took almost two weeks of persuasion by India for China to return the camera.

These advanced unmanned cameras are powered by solar cells and continuously capture and transmit images across the Line of Actual Control. India holds an advantageous position at Chumar and has a better connectivity than China.

The Indian forces occupy a hillock with a clear line of sight over several kilometres. These cameras are meant to alert the Indian troops about the Chinese patrol movements. With these cameras, India was monitoring movements on a stretch that connects to an arterial road in Tibet.

Because of its superior position, India had built a temporary tin-shed in Chumar. It was dismantled after China folded its tents and restored status quo in northern Ladakh in April.
The Army officials, however, have refused to describe the incident as an “intrusion” and denied any “face-off” in Chumar.

In April, the Chinese troops came 19 km inside the Indian territory in  the Depsang valley, a desolate area 40 km south-east of Daulat Beg Oldie, a World War II airstrip which was reactivated by the Indian Air Force in 2008 as part of India's strategy to bolster border defence.  It took hectic diplomatic efforts for almost two weeks before the Chinese troops withdrew ahead of Chinese premier Li Keqiang's maiden India tour.