New Delhi: Although he had taken charge of the Leh-based 14 ‘Fire and Fury’ Corps only on Tuesday, Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta was part of the earlier 12th and 13th rounds of talks between the Indian and Chinese armies at the senior commander or lieutenant-general level in eastern Ladakh but maintained a low profile so as not to bring unwanted attention by the PLA.
“Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta participated in the two earlier rounds of talks but maintained a low profile for obvious reasons. He was included in the Indian delegation so that he can easily slip into the role controlling the current situation in eastern Ladakh,” a security establishment source told ETV Bharat on condition of anonymity.
“For participating in the talks, Lt Gen Sengupta had flown in from the Army Headquarters in New Delhi where he was earlier posted,” the source said.
Lt Gen Sengupta is the third corps commander to lead the talks. Lt Gen Menon had taken over from Lt Gen Harinder Singh on October 14, 2020.
The 12th and 13th round of talks—where the Indian delegation was led by Lt Gen PGK Menon—had taken place respectively at Moldo and Chushul on July 31 and October 10, respectively.
Located at about 4,360 metres altitude, Chushul is the last Indian border outpost on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh while Moldo, the PLA’s border post, lies across.
It is likely that the 14th round of talks between the two sides may be held in Moldo on January 12, 2022, as the existing protocol is that both sides take turns to host each other.
Also read: New Fire and Fury Corps Commander to head Indo-China talks next week
But there is a big ‘but’ in the reported January 12 scheduling of talks with weather conditions still in the realm of uncertainty.
“There is a lot of snowfall and if that continues it will be difficult for the helicopter carrying the Indian delegation to land,” the source added.
Besides lack of oxygen due to the high altitude, the outside night temperatures plummet to more than minus 40 degrees in many places in eastern Ladakh where more than 100,000 Indian and Chinese soldiers stand deployed for the past year after mobilization by the Asian giants began after a series of violent brawls that first began in May 2020.
Usually, the Indian delegation flies in a helicopter from Leh to the helipad in Moldo.
Led by the 14 Corps commander, the Indian delegation comprises a joint secretary in the foreign ministry, a Brigadier-ranked officer from the DGMO, besides local military representatives including the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) which is mandated with guarding the India-China border from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. ITBP teams operate jointly with the Army.
The Chinese delegation is led by the commander of the South Xinjian Military District who at present is Major General Yang Lin.
