Amid LAC faceoff, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to not meet Chinese counterpart in Russia

In an important development, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's contingent has made it clear that the former shall not meet his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe in Russia as per sources. Besides Singh who arrived in Moscow on Monday evening for a three-day visit, Fenghe is also currently in Russia. This comes even as India and China have been at loggerheads after the violent clash in the Galwan valley area on June 15.

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Corps Commander-level talks

On Monday, another round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China concluded at Moldo after nearly 11 and a half hours. As per sources, India demanded a return to the status quo in April, asking the Chinese to remove the additional buildup done in the Galwan and Pangong Tso areas. Sources added that the Corps Commander-level talks would not continue on Tuesday as the Indian Army's 14 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Harinder Singh is expected to brief COAS General MM Naravane on the progress of the talks. General Naravane has reached Leh to review the on-ground situation and visit forward locations. 

Meanwhile, the Indian Army stated that the Corps Commander-level talks were held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere. Mentioning that there was a mutual consensus to disengage, it elaborated that the modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in Eastern Ladakh were discussed. According to the Army, these modalities shall be taken forward by both sides. 

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20 Indian Army personnel martyred

20 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred when a violent faceoff took place on June 15 when the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. As per the Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese newspaper Global Times, the Chinese side also suffered casualties during the physical clash. Sources revealed that an Indian colonel was attacked by Chinese Army personnel without any provocation leading to a strong retaliation from the Indian side.

This physical hand-to-hand combat went on for many hours on Monday, sources revealed. On June 18, the Indian Army revealed that a total of 76 personnel had been injured out of which 18 admitted to the Leh hospital can resume duty in about 15 days. As per the Army, the remaining 58 soldiers should be back on duty within a week's time. 

Read: China Purposefully Ordered LAC Clash With India: US Intel Nails Beijing's Galwan Lies