Twenty Indian personnel, including a Colonel, were killed in violent clashes with Chinese troops on Monday along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, in what is possibly the worst incident between the two countries in decades. The clashes came amidst a “de-escalation” process in the Galwan area that was started last week, after a month long standoff between troops at several points along the LAC in Ladakh and Sikkim.
“Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed on the night of June 15/16 June. Seventeen Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty at the standoff location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain have succumbed to their injuries, taking the total that were killed in action to 20,” the Army said in a late-night statement.
The violent face-off took place during the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley and resulted in “casualties on both sides”, the Army stated. Indian Army is firmly committed to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation, it added.
However, Army sources said there was no firing during the face-off.
Three of the personnel killed have been identified as Colonel B. Santosh Babu from Telangana, Havildar Palani from Tamil Nadu and Sepoy K.K. Ojha from Jharkhand.
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