LAC rules changed, Army given free hand to respond adequately

New Delhi : The armed forces deployed along the 3,500-km de-facto border with China have been given "free hand" to give "befitting" reply to any Chinese aggressive behaviour, government sources said after defence minister Rajnath Singh held a high-level meeting with top military brass on the situation in eastern Ladakh.

The high-level meeting was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria.

The sources said Singh told the top military brass to maintain strict vigil on Chinese activities around land border, airspace and in strategic sea lanes, and asked them to adopt a "tough" approach in dealing with any misadventure by Chinese forces.

For over six weeks, Indians and Chinese armies have been in a stand-off. The situation became tenser after the two side involved in violent clashes in which 20 Indian soldiers were martyred and approximately 40 Chinese soldiers were killed.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has not yet talked about the number of casualties it suffered.

Meanwhile, India has ramped up its Air Force on the frontline facing China to retaliate in any situation with a free hand.