New Delhi: The Indian Army has refuted claims of any roadblocks or objections in Ladakh’s Depsang, calling recent articles as “speculative and bereft of facts.” In a post on X on Thursday, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information said that some reports on Wednesday and Thursday speculated about issues in the disengagement process in Depsang and Demchok, after last month’s India-China agreement.
According to an NDTV report, the Army said, “It is unambiguously stated that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok has been completed and implementation of consensus, as agreed to, is being undertaken in a planned manner that includes resumption of patrolling to traditional patrolling areas. There are no roadblocks/objections from either side that have been faced in this process.
Certain Media Articles on 06-07 November 2024 have speculated about roadblocks/objections in the disengagement process consequent to the consensus between the Indian and Chinese sides on 21 October 24. It is unambiguously stated that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok has… pic.twitter.com/SHxT8Mvmf2
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) November 7, 2024
Army urges media to verify facts
The Army also urged media outlets to verify facts on sensitive matters, emphasizing the importance of avoiding the publication of misleading information. “The articles published in this regard are speculative and bereft of facts. The concerned media houses are requested to verify and authenticate facts before publishing such sensitive articles and exercise due editorial discretion so that no unsubstantiated or misleading information is propagated, ” the post said.
India-China disengagement
On October 21, India announced a patrolling agreement with China for the disputed regions of Depsang and Demchok, allowing troops to return to positions held before the 2020 standoff. The disengagement involved dismantling structures and restoring the land to its original state.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “We reached an agreement on patrolling and have returned to the 2020 positions. With this, the disengagement with China is complete… In some areas, we had mutually blocked each other since 2020. We have now reached an understanding that will permit patrolling as before.”
The disengagement process ended last month and both the Army and government confirmed last week that patrolling has resumed in Depsang and Demchok.
