Published 22:34 IST, June 16th 2020
India-China faceoff: Army confirms disengagement at Galwan; 20 soldiers martyred in action
The Indian Army issued an official statement on the violent faceoff that took place on June 15 at the LAC. It confirmed that 20 soldiers had been martyred.
The Indian Army on Tuesday issued an official statement on the violent faceoff that took place on June 15 at the Line of Actual Control. It mentioned that both sides had disengaged at the Galwan area. Moreover, it added that 17 more troops who were critically injured in the line of duty had succumbed to their injuries. This has propelled the number of Indian Army personnel martyred at the LAC to 20.
Here is the Indian Army's statement:
"Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed on the night of 15/16 June 2020. 17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty at the stand off 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. Indian Army is firmly committed to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation."
Indian Army personnel martyred
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 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 with iron rods 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 Tuesday morning, senior commanders took stock of the situation and the talks started at about 7 am.
MEA reiterates commitment to ensuring India's sovereignty
Earlier in the day, MEA official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava stated that on-ground commanders from India and China had held a series of meetings to implement the consensus reached at a higher level. However, he revealed that China departed from the consensus to respect the LAC in the Galwan Valley. He contended that a violent faceoff had taken place on the late evening and night of June 15, leading to casualties on both sides as a result of China's attempt to unilaterally change the status quo. The MEA observed that the casualties could have avoided had China followed the agreement reached at a higher level. Maintaining that India was convinced of resolving differences through dialogue, he reiterated the country's commitment to ensuring India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Updated 22:40 IST, June 16th 2020