Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], July 27 : Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Mama Natung on Sunday refuted claims of Chinese encroachment in the State as "just rumours", urging the media to verify before releasing such statements in the public domain.
Speaking to the reporters on the sidelines of the Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations here, Natung praised the border security, saying that the soldiers guard the nation 24*7. He underlined that the central government remains fully aligned on national security priorities along the northeastern frontier.
"Regarding the Chinese encroachment claims being shown on social media, I would request media friends to verify whether such statements are true or not. The reality is that there is no Chinese encroachment in Arunachal Pradesh. Our soldiers are standing 24*7 on the borders to protect Mother India. I can say with confidence that China does not dare to cross even one inch of Indian territory. These claims are just rumours and should not be believed. The Indian government has deployed our brave soldiers, and the entire nation stands with them. We are ready to make any sacrifice for the protection of our land," he said.
Earlier last month, the Indian Army rebutted reports in a section of the media alleging encroachment by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and setting up camps in Arunachal Pradesh and termed them "incorrect and without basis".
"We have seen some media reports alleging recent encroachment by Chinese PLA and setting up of camps in Arunachal Pradesh. These reports are incorrect and without any basis," the Indian Army said.
India and China also held the 35th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) in Beijing last month.
A Ministry of External Affairs release said later that the discussions were constructive and forward-looking.
The two sides reviewed the situation in the India-China border areas and expressed satisfaction with the progress made in maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas, which has enabled progress towards gradual normalisation of bilateral relations.
The two sides discussed issues about delimitation, border management, mechanism building and cross-border cooperation. Indian side stressed on early meeting of the next Expert Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers.