Indian and Chinese troops have started patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh after a gap of over four years, marking a massive de-escalation in border tensions sparked by a deadly clash between the two sides in 2020.

The soldiers patrolled areas in Depsang and Damchok on Thursday after informing the other side, a day after they completed military disengagement.

Patrolling was stopped in these two areas in eastern Ladakh for about four and a half years after the two sides clashed in the Pangong Lake and Galwan regions in May-June 2020, leading to the death of 20 Indian soldiers.

The militaries agreed to a patrolling agreement last week, aiming to end the four years of border tensions. The disengagement deal called for the removal of military personnel and infrastructure from Depsang and Damchok and the withdrawal of troops to pre-April 2020 positions.

The soldiers also exchanged sweets yesterday at five locations on the LAC, including Chushul Maldo and Daulat Beg Oldi in Ladakh, on the occasion of Diwali.

Indian Army is now cross-checking if China had, in fact, withdrawn its troops as per the agreement, sources told NDTV on Wednesday. They said the ground-level commanders from each side will inform the other before patrolling “to avoid miscommunication”.

Both the sides will continue to have surveillance options in Depsang and Demchok.