On June 15, 20 Indian soldiers including the Commanding officer of 16 Bihar battalion, were killed in physical fights with Chinese troops in the GV close to the disputed Aksai Chin plateau and injuries to several others as claimed by Indian media. The incident comes days after Army Chief General M M Naravane said about both sides have begun disengaging from the Galwan Valley (GV)
Soldiers brawled with clubs, rocks and their fists in the thin air at elevation of about 4,270 meters (14,000 feet) above sea level, but no shots were fired, Indian officials claimed that the soldiers carry firearms but are not allowed to use them under a previous agreement in the border dispute. Casualties took place on both sides, an Indian Army statement said. However, there are no details on Chinese toll yet. China says the GV where Chinese and Indian troops were engaged in a deadly clash falls entirely within its territory. The Indian casualties include an imprisonment of a Commanding Officer and three other Officers, and about 6 Soldiers who were released by Chinese on June 17.
This GV, which is part of the disputed Ladakh region, is located on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) - the de facto border between the two Asian rivals.
The last time such casualties happened was in Tung La of Arunachal 45 years ago, way back in 1975, when four Assam Rifles men had been killed. The faceoff took place during the de-escalation process underway in the GV. The two armies are engaged in a standoff in Pangong Tso, GV, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh. A significant number of Chinese troops have transgressed into the Indian side at several places including Pangong Tso. The border crisis started at Eastern Ladakh when Chinese troops intruded at four locations and set up forces in depth. The ongoing standoff at Ladakh different from earlier episodes like Depsang and Chumar. This is not a clash triggered during patrolling. This is a well-thought out move on China's part to pressure India simultaneously at multiple locations.
In early May, China has mobilized troops and equipment at these locations, including heavy vehicles, tanks, artillery and more than of 6,000 troops, on its side of LAC, and digging defense bunkers there. Meanwhile, India has also set up the intended infra in those locations. The India Army has stationed troops and equipment matching the Chinese numbers. Although high-level efforts are on to defuse the situation, a quick resolution of this standoff at Galwan does not seem likely now. Chances are that it could be prolonged impasse, with India unlikely to budge even as China appears unwilling to pull back.
Indian opposition legislators have also raised the issue of whether intelligence failures which allowed China to build up forces in the area. This encounter opens a Pandora box against an expenditure of an annual defense budget of about dollars 70 billion in recent years. The following questions must be raised by the opposition parties without thinking of any single positive response.
1. Why in the presence of more than 12 Mountain Divisions; the 12 Bihar Battalion; an Indian Army infantry regiment; was deployed at an altitude of 14K feet as a bait.
2. Did the military headquarters are not receiving, on a regular basis, satellite pictures of the GV?
3. Indian external intelligence agencies do not report any unusual activity along the LAC
4. Galwan river is a fast-flowing river and Indian forces crossed in the nighttime without the help of an Engineering Core
5. The numbers of casualties are because of physical fitness and indicating absence of Medical help.
6. The entire Military Forces of India is involved on J&K.
