Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday rubbished reports of Chinese incursion in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, Indian newspaper Indian Express reported.           

Parrikar clarified that it was a small act of transgression that had taken place near the Sino-India border in the Uttarakhand state, adding that the issue has been peacefully settled between armies of both countries.

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"India-China border is not formally demarcated. There are areas where both sides have differing perceptions of LAC. Barhoti (Uttarakhand) is one such area. There was no incursion, just transgression which has been settled. There is a well-defined mechanism to settle such transgressions," Parrikar said in India's parliament.

On Wednesday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat told reporters that Chinese troops had intruded near the Barhoti border in Chamoli District. Rawat added that the matter is of grave concern, and the central government must take cognizance of the issue.

China, so far, has not issued any official statement on the matter. However, in the past, China has swiftly dismissed similar allegations leveled by India. Last month, India accused Chinese troops of intruding into the disputed state of Arunachal Pradesh. An allegation that was duly rejected by China.

China-India diplomatic relation is currently going through a difficult period, with China playing a spoilsport in India's bid for Nuclear Supplier's Group (NSG) membership last month. The Chinese snub has put pressure on the Indian government to act tough with China.

Earlier this month, reports surfaced that India had deployed 100 tanks to Ladhak. Although there were no concrete reports that this was in direct response to China's NSG snub, the move was criticized by Chinese state media.

TagsIndia, china, Manohar Parrikar, India and China, Uttarakhand