Tue 16 June 2020:
The Indian Army said on Tuesday that at least 20 soldiers died during the “violent face-off” with Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control on Monday, India Today reported. Earlier reports had said that three soldiers – including a colonel – had been killed.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has alleged that the face-off at Eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley was due to China’s attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the area. “On the late-evening and night of 15th June, 2020, a violent face-off happened as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo there,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said earlier in the day. “Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side.”
The Indian Army said in a statement on Tuesday morning that the clash took place during a de-escalation process that was under way in the Galwan Valley. The extent of the casualties on the Chinese side is not yet clear.
China, however, accused India of crossing the border twice and attacking its troops, China’s Foreign Ministry asked India not to take unilateral actions. The People’s Liberation Army Western Theater Command claimed that Indian troops “broke their promises” by once again crossing the Line of Actual Control and purposefully launched “provocative attacks”.
The dispute between India and China centres around a strategic bridge being built near Daulat Beg Oldi, a military post south of the Karakoram Pass. China has reportedly asked India to stop building infrastructure even on its own side of the LAC. New Delhi, on the other hand, has asked Beijing to maintain the status quo on the border. In recent weeks, India and China have reportedly deployed additional troops along the LAC at North Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
Earlier in May, there were reports of China pitching tents near river Galwan, which was also a flashpoint between New Delhi and Beijing during the Sino-Indian war of 1962. Both India and China had deployed additional security forces in the area amid heightened tensions.
Photo: SONMARG, KASHMIR, INDIA-JUNE 16: Indian soldiers erect a military bunker along the Srinagar-Leh National highway on June 16, 2020. Faisal Khan
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