According to reports in the Hindustan Times and Headlines Today, Chinese military forces have gradually assumed control over an aggregate of 640 km across three sectors along the border in Depsang, Chumar and Pangong Tso. The media reports also said that after a PLA incursion into Indian territory on April 15, Indian forces have been prevented from patrolling the Depsang Bulge.
A report compiled in the first week of August during an Indian inspection led by Shyam Saran who visited the border in order to ascertain how Indian infrastructure could be reinforced along the disputed demarcation line in order to best serve India's interests. Despite being commissioned by the India Prime Minister, no one in Parliament seems to be aware of the occupation by the PLA.
When asked about the report by Headlines Today, an Indian newspaper, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said:
“Actions are taken on the basis of information that is received. It is not possible to keep forces everywhere permanently. We take action if we get to know something. There is nothing to worry about. We have acted on all information.”
Numbers of troops on both sides have increased to nearly 40,000, and politicians on both sides have visited the border in an effort to reduce tensions. Beijing claims around 92,000 km of land, and has opposed the signing of a Border Defense Cooperation Agreement that was proposed by the Indian Defense Ministry, saying that such an agreement must include a freeze of infrastructure development along the border.
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