Amid India-China faceoff, Army confirms 'no troops missing'; rubbishes ‘capture’ reports

Debunking reports claiming capture of Indian troops in the Indo-China Galwan clashes, the Indian Army, on Thursday, has stated that 'no Indian Troops Missing In Action'. A report in American news agency - New York Times claimed 'A number of Indian troops were captured, two Indian military officials said in interviews'. The article also alleged that 'their fate remains unclear'.

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Army: 'No Indian troops missing in action'

The Army stated, "This is with reference to the article 'In China-India Clash, Two Nationalist Leaders with Little Room to Give' by New York Times dated 17 June 2020. It is clarified that there are no Indian troops Missing In Action". The Army has already confirmed that both sides have disengaged and that military-level talks were held on Thursday morning in LAC.

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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 lodged a strong protest of the Indian government with China over the violent standoff at Galwan Valley during his telephonic conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday. During the conversation, 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. He also cautioned his Chinese counterpart of this 'unprecedented development' and its impact on the Indo-China bilateral relationship. 

China, on the other hand, has emphasized that India and China should follow important consensus reached by their leaders. But, it has 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. It has further stated that 'India must not underestimate China's firm will to safeguard its territorial sovereignty', as stated by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying.

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What happened at Galwan?

20 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred when a violent faceoff took place on Monday night when the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. As per US intelligence reports, the Chinese side has suffered 35 casualties including a Commanding officer, during the physical clash. Sources revealed that an Indian colonel was attacked by Chinese Army personnel with iron rods without any provocation leading to hand-to-hand combat. While three soldiers were killed in action, 17 other succumbed to their injuries and hypothermia, four others are in critical but stable condition.

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