New Delhi, June 26: Former Minister of State (MoS) for Defence, Pallam Raju, said the aggression being posed by China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) should be considered as a real threat. Citing the ground reports which emerged a day earlier, Raju claimed that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has transgressed into Depsang, which lies under India's jurisdiction. India-China Face-Off: Tensions at Sino-Indian Border 'Not Over', Say Experts.

"As the ground report say, in an alarming development we have learnt that Chinese have transgressed 18 km into Depsang Plains - an area called the bottleneck or the Y-junction. This is a real threat," said Raju, a senior leader of the Congress party.

Pallam Raju on LAC Row: Watch Video

A day earlier, leading national dailies reported that the Chinese army has intruded into Depsang, an area which had emerged as the point of confrontation in the 2013 Sino-Indian face-off.

Depsang Plains are strategically crucial as they are located barely 30 km away, towards the southeast, to the airstrip used by Indian Air Force (IAF) in Daulat Beg Oldie (DOB). According to The Indian Express, the PLA has deployed troops, heavy vehicles and specialist military equipment in Depsang.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is yet to officially react to the reports of Chinese incursion in Depsang. The intrusion reports come barely ten days after a physical clash in Galwan Valley, which led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and left at least 76 injured.

The MEA, drawing a line of caution on Thursday, said the ties with Beijing would be vitiated if the situation along the LAC continues Using diplomatic and military channels, India has reiterated that it wants the restoration of status quo as of April 2020.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 26, 2020 03:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).