According to latest information, Indian soldiers who were killed in Galwan Valley, were allegedly attacked with iron rods and nail studded clubs by the Chinese side. According to NDTV, Indian Army sources have claimed that Indian soldiers were not shot, but killed in a hand-to-hand combat, that included stones and batons.
Twenty Indian soldiers including the commanding officer of an infantry battalion were killed on Monday evening in a clash with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan valley where soldiers of the two countries have been locked in a tense stand-off for more than one month.
Responding to the incident, 48 hours later, Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh and Prime Minister, Narendra Modi issued words of condolences to the deceased soldiers’ families.
“Tributes to the martyrs who lost their lives protecting our nation in Eastern Ladakh. Their supreme sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted.
Meanwhile Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, praised the soldiers’ bravery and courage.
“The loss of soldiers in Galwan is deeply disturbing and painful. Our soldiers displayed exemplary courage and valour in the line of duty and sacrificed their lives in the highest traditions of the Indian Army.
The Nation will never forget their bravery and sacrifice. My heart goes out to the families of the fallen soldiers. The nation stand shoulder to shoulder with them in this difficult hour. We are proud of the bravery and courage of India’s breavehearts,” tweeted Rajnath Singh.
However, the Defence Minister did not provide any further information about the face-off or the steps initiated by both sides to de-escalate the situation.
Meanwhile, Beijing on Wednesday categorically issued a statement claiming that the Galwan Valley belonged to China. Chinese spokesperson, Zhao Lijian said that the Chinese side did not “want to see more clashes”, but also said that “China owns sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region”, the Times of India reported.
However, the Ministry of External Affairs has claimed that India on Wednesday conveyed its protest in “strongest terms” to China.
In a telephonic conversation between external affairs minister, S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, on Wednesday, Jaishnkar is said to have warned China about serious impact on bilateral relations between both countries. “The need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps. The two sides should scrupulously and sincerely implement the understanding that was reached by the Senior Commanders on 6th June,” the official statement from the ministry of external affairs said.
In its initial statement early on Tuesday, the Indian army had announced that an officer and two soldiers had been killed in action. By evening, an update by the army said 17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty at the stand off location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high-altitude terrain had succumbed to injuries.
The army statement issued on Tuesday evening also said the Indian and Chinese troops at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed ” have disengaged”.
The Chinese army also suffered casualties in the face-off but there was no immediate confirmation of the numbers.
The army statement came hours after the external affairs ministry rebutted the Chinese accusations that blamed Indian soldiers for provoking the clash. External affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Monday evening’s violent face-off took place in Galwan valley where the Chinese side “departed from the consensus to respect the LAC (Line of Actual Control)” and attempted to “unilaterally change the status quo”.
The external ministry ministry did not elaborate how the Chinese troops had tried to alter the status quo. Officials later said it could be a reference to an observation post set up by the Chinese troops on the Indian side of the LAC that was removed by Indian soldiers.
These are the first Indian casualties in a border skirmish with the People’s Liberation Army since October 1975 when Chinese troops ambushed an Indian patrol in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tulung La sector and shot four soldiers dead.
