Army Chief General Naravane to visit Leh on Tuesday to review on-ground situation

The meeting between Indian Army's 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh and his Chinese counterpart got over after around 11 hours on Monday. Sources stated that 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.

On Tuesday, Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane will visit Leh to review the on-ground situation.  The Army chief had on Monday discussed the security situation with the top Army commanders in Delhi, officials said. According to Army officials, all commanders are in the national capital for the second phase of the commanders' conference.

Army Commanders Conference is being held on June 22-23 to review the operational situation on both the northern and western fronts. This meeting comes at a time when the tensions between India and China have escalated at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh after the violent face-off in Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives. 

China admits to Commander's fatality

Earlier in the day, the Chinese Army officials confirmed that a Commanding officer was killed in the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15, as per sources. China had previously admitted they had casualties but had not revealed the numbers. US intelligence reports state that China has suffered 35 casualties.

On June 18, the two countries held Major general-level talks for over six hours with the meeting ending on a cordial note. Sources said the meeting location was at Patrol Point 14, where the clash took place on June 15-16.

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India-China's war of words

Slamming China's incursion into Indian territory at the LAC, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted that the Chinese side took pre-meditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties which reflected its intent to 'change facts' on the ground in violation of the previous agreements reached during his telephonic conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

China, on the other hand, has now staked claim over the entire Galwan Valley. It has also maintained that Indian Army 'broke the consensus and crossed the Line of Actual Control, deliberately provoking and attacking Chinese officers and soldiers', leading to violence. Currently, both countries have disengaged at LAC, while talks via diplomatic channels and Army-level continue.

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(With ANI inputs)