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Chinese Troops Abduct 5 People in India's Arunachal Pradesh State, Local Minister Claims

NEW DELHI Sputnik) - Chinese military abducted five people in the Indian northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, Ninong Ering, a member of the local Legislative Assembly and a former union minister told Sputnik on Saturday.
Sputnik

"Five people from Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh have been abducted by Chinese PLA [People's Liberation Army]. I have asked the Central government [of India] to talk to them for the release of these five persons. It is not the first time that the PLA has indulged in such activity. A few months ago a similar incident happened when a person was abducted by the PLA and they released him later", Ering said.

He claimed that China may escalate tensions in Arunachal Pradesh "after Ladakh," another border region which has seen a number of confrontations, including a deadly skirmish, since May.

Chinese Troops Abduct 5 People in India's Arunachal Pradesh State, Local Minister Claims

The member of the Arunachal Pradesh legislative assembly called on New Delhi to respond to the actions of China's PLA.

Beijing and New Delhi have been in a border standoff since April, while tensions escalated dramatically after a fatal altercation between Indian and Chinese troops in mid-June. The fight in the Galwan Valley in the disputed Ladakh region claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers. Beijing has not officially reported any casualties.

Another clash occurred on 29-30 August, however, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said that to his knowledge, no Indian soldiers were killed in that border skirmish.

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