NEW DELHI: India is determined to impose costs on Chinese troops if they attempt any further misadventure on the border, officials said on Sunday after defence minister Rajnath Singh reviewed operational readiness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with the military brass here.
The armed forces have been given “full freedom” to respond in an “adequate and proportionate manner” to any hostile act in accordance with their judgement. “They have been told not to start a fight, but also not to hold back in the event of any ground intrusion or breach of airspace. The Army, Navy and IAF reported satisfactory levels of preparedness and high operational alertness along the LAC,” an official said.
The hour-long meeting chaired by Singh, who is slated to leave for Moscow on Monday, was attended by chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat and the three Service chiefs, General M M Naravane, Admiral Karambir Singh and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria.
The decisive shift away from the long-standing border management policy to largely