At least twenty soldiers were martyred during a ‘violent confrontation’ with Chinese troops on Monday night in the Galvan Valley of Ladakh. The army gave this information. This is the first incident of such martyrdom of Indian Armed Forces personnel after nearly 45 years on the Chinese border.
China also suffered damage. However, how much damage has been done is not clear yet. According to a senior army officer, earlier in 1975, four Indian soldiers were martyred in a clash at Tulung La in Arunachal Pradesh.
Official sources said there was no firing from either side. The army said in a brief statement, “During the de-escalation process in the Galvan Valley, there was a violent confrontation on Monday night. During this, an officer and two soldiers of the Indian Army were martyred.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the current situation in East Ladakh along with Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat and heads of three armies. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was also present at the meeting.
Sources said that Army Chief General MM Narwane’s visit to a base outside Delhi has been canceled. A large number of Indian and Chinese soldiers have come face-to-face in several areas of East Ladakh, including Galvan Valley, for the past five weeks.The incident comes days after Indian Army Chief General MM Narwane said that troops of both countries were retreating from the Galvan Valley.
The Chinese government-run newspaper Global Times claimed in one of its news that Indian soldiers started a clash. They entered Chinese territory and attacked Chinese troops.