Incident · 1 August 2012 – February 2013 · Thakung, near Pangong Tso, Ladakh (India–China Line of Actual Control)
Ladakh border luminous objects (Thakung / Pangong)
Also known as Ladakh UFOs, Kongka La, Thakung, Pangong
Partly explained. Astronomers measuring at Thakung reportedly identified the lights as Jupiter and Venus; earlier reports called them "non celestial". (source)
A CIA document in the PURSUE release (CIA-UAP-016) records earlier reports of UFO sightings in Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, showing that the region has a long history of such reports.
Facts and claims
- claimed An Indo-Tibetan Border Police unit at Thakung, near Pangong Tso, reportedly logged more than 100 sightings of “Unidentified Luminous Objects” between August 1 and October 15, 2012. They described yellowish spheres lifting from the horizon on the Chinese side and crossing the sky over three to five hours. Reports went to ITBP headquarters and the Prime Minister's Office. Source: upi.com (archived)
- claimed The Army set up a mobile ground radar and a spectrum analyser near Pangong Lake that detected no signals, and a drone sent towards an object lost sight of it. Officials ruled out UAVs, Chinese drones and low-orbit satellites. By February 2013 the military had logged 329 sightings. Source: upi.com (archived)
- claimed Astronomers from the Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle watched for three days. They saw the objects but could not identify them, calling them “non celestial” and ruling out meteors and planets. Source: upi.com (archived)
- claimed Asked in the Lok Sabha whether the Army's Leh-based 14 Corps had reported UFOs over the India–China border, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said in November 2012 that there was "no conclusive proof" of such sightings. — A.K. Antony Source: dnaindia.com (archived)
- claimed Counter-report: The Register (July 2013) said two astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics took theodolite measurements at Thakung between August 2012 and February 2013 and concluded that the objects were celestial, the planets Jupiter and Venus, made unusually bright by the altitude. This contradicts the "non celestial" account above. Source: theregister.com (archived)
Connected files
People
- A.K. Antony (disputed by)
Official records (PURSUE)
- CIA-UAP-016 — Sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects in Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan (same region as) — A 1968 CIA report lists earlier UFO sightings in Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan
Organizations
- Indo-Tibetan Border Police (witnesses)
Mentioned in this file
- PURSUE — Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (Program)
- Central Intelligence Agency (Organization)
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