Indian Army conducted its first patrol to one of the patrolling points in the Depsang Plains on Monday, after it resumed patrolling in Demchok sector of eastern Ladakh on 1st November after Diwali. The full-fledged patrolling started almost two weeks after India reached a disengagement agreement with China on 21st October. Patrols in Depsang—considered the more challenging of the two sectors—has been restored to levels seen before April 2020, signalling a return to normalcy in this strategically critical region.
“Following the consensus reached between the Indian and Chinese Side for disengagement and resumption of patrolling in Depsang and Demchok, the Indian Army patrol to one of the patrolling points in Depsang was successfully conducted today. This is yet another positive step towards maintaining peace and tranquillity on the LAC,” the Leh-based 14 Corps also said in a post on `X’ late on Monday night.
Following the consensus reached between the Indian and Chinese Side for disengagement and resumption of patrolling in Depsang and Demchok, the Indian Army patrol to one of the patrolling points in Depsang was successfully conducted today. This is yet another positive step towards… pic.twitter.com/iJrt6Hcd9z
— @firefurycorps_IA (@firefurycorps) November 4, 2024
he resumption of the coordinated patrolling of the Y-Junction area in the Depsang Plains, known as the “Bottleneck Area,” provides India access to five key patrolling points—PP10, PP11, PP11A, PP12, and PP13—along with two in Demchok, which were earlier blocked by Chinese forces from April to May 2020.
As reported by BharatShakti on 01 November, Indian officers have already visited Patrol Points 10 to 13 immediately after the agreement for physical verification- following the completion of disengagement and dismantling of temporary structures on both sides.
The Chinese Army PLA, too, is conducting similar patrols with advance information to India to prevent the possibility of any clash. Coordinated patrols, according to the understanding reached between the two sides, will involve providing advance information to the other side about the date, time and size of the patrols. India’s primary demand of restoring the right to patrol up to Patrolling Points 10 to 13 near Depsang and at a point called CNN close to Demchok beyond a place called Y junction has been met under the agreement reached.
On 30 October, the Indian and Chinese troops resumed the tradition of exchanging sweets at various border points, including in eastern Ladakh on the occasion of Diwali. This gesture, a customary practice marking festivals and significant occasions, saw troops from both sides come together at multiple posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Following the Depsang-Demchok pact, India is now pushing to restore its patrolling rights in areas where “no-patrol buffer zones” were previously established during disengagement efforts up to September 2022. These buffer zones were created in regions such as Galwan, the north bank of Pangong Tso, the Kailash Range, and the larger Gogra-Hot Springs area. Significantly, many of these zones fall within India’s territory.
Ravi Shankar
