The army has moved more than 6,000 troops to the Sino-Indian border close to the tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China even as Army Chief Deepak Kapooor said reports of intrusions of Chinese forces in Bhutan was a "matter between the two countries".
The movement of troops from Jammu and Kashmir has been termed by army officials as "routine move back of troops to their original locations".
They said the forces being moved were all formations of the Kalimpong-based 27 Mountain Division which had gone for counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir in 2001.
Army sources said an entire brigade of the 27 division and an additional battalion had been moved back over a period of three to four months.
Asked whether the Indian Army was concerned over reported intrusions of the Chinese army into Bhutan, Kapoor, speaking on the sidelines of an army seminar in Delhi said it was a matter for Bhutan and China to sort out.
"It is a matter between Bhutan and China to resolve. So that is an issue at diplomatic level. I have nothing to say," he said.
The shifting of army formations north of Nathu La comes against the backdrop of reports of Chinese troops coming close to a vital area is the only land link between north-eastern states and the rest of India.
However, army authorities brush this aside saying Chinese forces have been coming close to Dolam Plateau for over two decades as the boundary in the area is still to be defined.
© 2024 Rediff.com -