At least 20 Indian Army personnel have so far been killed in violent clashes with Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army confirmed Tuesday evening.
“Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed on the night of 15/16 June 2020. Seventeen 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,” the official statement read.
According to the Army, the clash broke out on Monday night during the de-escalation in Galwan valley region of Eastern Ladakh
These are the first casualties at the India-China border since October 20, 1975, when Chinese troops ambushed an Indian patrol, killing four Indian soldiers.
Forty five years on, this is clearly a testing time for Indian diplomats and defence personnel who have been managing a complicated relationship all these years. What is shocking is that the casualties have taken place after both India and China said that a positive consensus had been reached at the recent talks between Corp Commanders and the two sides were working towards an early resolution of the border tensions. Highly placed Indian government sources said troop disengagement had begun in Galwan and Hot Springs areas.
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India has squarely blamed China for the aggression. "On the late-evening and night of 15th June, 2020 a violent face-off happened as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo there. Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side," said Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs.
Indian officials have said the Chinese side has also suffered casualties. India’s foreign ministry has said that India’s committed to maintaining peace and security at the border and resolving disputes through dialogue.
The Chinese foreign office on the other hand has blamed Indian troops for entering Chinese territory and provoking their troops. China has also denied any knowledge of the casualties as a result of the violent face-off in the Galwan region on Monday night.
India’s Ambassador to China Vikram Misri called on China’s vice foreign minister Luo Zhaohui on Tuesday. India and China have also held Major General level talks to diffuse the current situation.
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A series of high level meetings were held in the national capital with the Chief of Defence Staff and the three service chiefs calling on union defence minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The India-China boundary dispute is not new. The two countries share a 3,488 kilometre long unresolved boundary stretching from Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh. Both nations have different perceptions about the exact location of the border.
India and China fought a war in 1962 and the boundary dispute has been one of the biggest sticking points in Sino-Indian ties. Over the years, India and China have developed five mechanisms to resolve border tensions.
India and China boundary dispute resolution mechanisms:
1993 Agreement on Maintenance of Peace and Tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas;
1996 Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field along the LAC;
2005 Protocol on Modalities for the implementation of the Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field along the LAC;
2012 Agreement on the establishment of a working mechanism for consultation and coordination on India-China Border Affairs and
2013 Border Defence Cooperation Agreement.
The above mechanisms are now being questioned for their efficacy. China is now asserting its boundary claims more aggressively than ever before. While there are no confirmed numbers, some reports suggest that China has deployed over 2,500 troops in the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso.
Strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney said, "China is building bunkers and defensive fortifications. In Lake Pangong, they have occupied areas between finger four and eight. They are also building concrete structures there and elsewhere. China might be using these negotiations to further consolidate their position on areas they have encroached upon. Situation is not just confined to eastern Ladakh, they have built up forces all along the Himalayan frontier to tie down Indian forces."
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The immediate trigger for the tensions which began on the May 5 seems to be India's road construction in the Galwan region. China is objecting to a bridge and other feeder roads that India is constructing to connect the strategically important Shyok Daulat Beg Oldie road.
In fact, the Chinese defence ministry has now made its objection amply clear. "China always owns sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region and the Indian border defence troops are inconsistent with their words and seriously violated the agreements both countries have reached, the consensus made during the army commander-level talks and harmed the relations of the two militaries and the feelings of the two countries' peoples," said Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Command spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili.
The 45 day stand-off began with violent clashes between hundreds of Indian and Chinese troops in Pangong Tso and Naku La on 5th and 9th of May. Soldiers on both sides were injured in the clashes.
The fact that another violent face off took place on May 15, despite over 13 rounds of talks between India and China means that existing mechanism haven’t worked so far. A member of the National Security Advisory Board, Lt General SL Narasimhan said, "There are no signs of an all-out conflict. If there is a build up by the China side, then India will also build up the ante. A large scale conflict is not on the cards but if it happens we are prepared."
India's diplomatic and military community now has two challenges before them. Firstly, restoring the status quo in areas where Chinese troops have transgressed into Indian Territory and secondly, continuing with our build-up of border roads and other infrastructure near the LAC.
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