On guard:A file photo of Army personnel at the Bumla pass in Arunachal Pradesh.AFP  

In a fresh incident of friction, the Chinese military last month strongly protested against the Indian Army’s “transgression” into the strategically sensitive Asaphila area along the disputed border in Arunachal Pradesh, but India rejected the complaint, official sources said.

The sources said the Chinese raised the issue at a ‘Border Personnel Meeting’ (BPM) on March 15 here but the Indian Army dismissed it, saying that the area in the upper Subansiri region of Arunachal Pradesh belongs to India and it has regularly been carrying out patrols there.

The sources told PTI that the Chinese called India’s patrolling in the area a “transgression” and the Indian Army objected to the terminology.

“China’s protest to our patrolling in Asaphila is surprising,” said a source, adding there were several instances of Chinese intrusions in the area which had been taken up seriously by the Indian side in the past.

Under the BPM mechanism, the two sides can register their protest over any incident of transgression as there are varying perceptions about the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two countries.

The delegation of China’s People’s Liberation Army specifically mentioned extensive patrolling in Asaphila by Indian troops, saying such “violations” may escalate tensions.

However India said its troops were aware of the alignment of the LAC and the Army would continue to carry out patrols up to the LAC, the de facto border.

The sources said the Chinese military specifically mentioned large-scale Indian patrolling in Asaphila near Fishtail 1 on December 21, 22 and 23 last.

Indian and Chinese troops hold BPMs to resolve issues triggering tensions along the border.