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China's Bhutan incursion alarms India
Thursday, December 6, 2007 (Nitin Gokhale)
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee held a high level meeting with top defence officials as India is worried about developments on the eastern front of the country.
The Indian Army has raised an alarm at the increasing Chinese forays into Bhutan, which are close to the strategic Chumbi Valley - the tri-junction between India, Bhutan and China.
The trouble is a small stretch of China's border with Bhutan. Over the past six months, the Chinese have increasingly started making inroads to the strategically important area.
The incursions into Bhutan are precariously close to India's chicken's neck - the vulnerable Siliguri Corridor, linking the Northeast.
Wednesday's meeting between the defence minister, National Security Adviser MK Narayanan and top MEA and MoD officials took stock of this delicate situation.
India feels that there's a larger Chinese military aim behind the incursions to test Indian army's preparedness.
At the moment, Indian military strength is depleted in the East. One of the divisions normally based in hills of West Bengal is currently deployed in Kashmir.
The other division located at Binaguri would be rendered ineffective in case Chinese slice through Bhutan and cut the Siliguri corridor off.
NDTV.com: China's Bhutan incursion alarms India
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The Chinese incursions are now becoming far too common; yet the government continues to play them down.
I think it is about time we take some major steps to check up on our Northern and Eastern border; we should even base some units in Bhutan and Nepal; what say?