Comments attributed to NSA Ajit Doval in Chinese state media are false: MEA

New Delhi [India], September 8 : India on Tuesday refuted reports published in Chinese media that Indian troops "illegally crossed" the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near Pangong Tso and said the comments attributed to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval are "false".
According to an official statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), "We have seen reports in Chinese state media, including in China Daily and Huanqiu Shibao (Global Times), which had attributed some comments to NSA Shri Ajit Doval. These reports are completely false and are not based on facts. We urge the media to refrain from such speculative reporting."
On Monday, the Chinese government-owned Global Times had claimed that Indian troops "illegally crossed" the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near Pangong Tso on Monday and accordingly Chinese troops were forced to take "countermeasures" to stabilise the situation.
"Indian troops crossed the LAC at the west section of the China-India border, into the Shenpao mountain region near the south bank of Pangong Tso Lake," the Global Times reported quoting senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, a spokesperson of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) western command theatre.
Responding to such claims the Indian Army issued a statement saying that the Chinese soldiers fired in the air while attempting to close in on Indian positions across the LAC in Eastern Ladakh on Monday night.
The firing is apparently taking place on the LAC after a halt of almost four decades.
In a detailed statement the Army said on Tuesday that the Chinese troops yesterday were "attempting to close-in with one of our forward positions along the LAC and when dissuaded by own troops, PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate."
"It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres, while engagement at military, diplomatic and political level is in progress," the Indian Army said.
"Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity, however, it is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs," it further said and refuted the statement by the Western Theatre Command (one of the five commands of China's PLA) as an "attempt to mislead their domestic and international audience."