Arunachal 'integral and inalienable part' of India, says MEA, rejects China's claim

'Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and this is a self-evident fact. No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality,' MEA said.

The Ministry of External Affairs' official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, reacting to the row regarding an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Wangjom Thongdok being harassed at the Shanghai airport, slammed Chinese authorities for the "arbitrary detention" of the Indian citizen.

"We have seen statements made by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the arbitrary detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh, who was holding a valid passport and was transiting through Shanghai International Airport on her onward travel to Japan," MEA said.

"Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and this is a self-evident fact. No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality," it added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Chinese immigration officials refuted the allegations. "We learnt that China's border inspection authorities have gone through the whole process according to the laws and regulations and fully protected the lawful rights and interests of the person concerned," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

Jaiswal said the issue of the detention of the Indian national has been taken up strongly with the Chinese side.

"Chinese authorities have still not been able to explain their actions, which are in violation of several conventions governing international air travel," he said.

"The actions by the Chinese authorities also violate their own regulations that allow visa-free transit up to 24 hours for nationals of all countries," he added.

India has already lodged a strong protest with China over the incident.

In a series of social media posts, Thongdok said Chinese immigration officials at the Shanghai airport detained her for 18 hours on the ground that her passport was "invalid" as her birthplace was Arunachal Pradesh.

"They called my Indian passport invalid as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh which they claimed is Chinese territory," she said.

A strong demarche (a formal diplomatic protest) was made with the Chinese side, in Beijing and in Delhi on the same day the incident took place, government sources said on Monday.

(With PTI inputs)