Guwahati, 16 June: Amid the ongoing border dispute between India and China, a Colonel-rank officer and two soldiers of the Indian Army were martyred in a violent face-off with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley area of Ladakh on Monday night. The martyred army officer was commanding an infantry battalion.
“During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place yesterday (Monday) night with casualties. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers.” The army released the news in an official statement.
Senior military officials from India and China are currently meeting to defuse the situation.
It is being reported that when asked about Indian army reporting casualties, the Chinese foreign ministry called on India to not take unilateral actions or stir up trouble.
The incident comes days after Indian Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said both sides have begun disengaging in Galwan Valley. Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in a bitter standoff in several areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the mountainous eastern Ladakh for close to a month. Both the countries are holding talks at military and diplomatic levels to resolve the dispute.
The incident is being seen as the first border clash with China since 1975.
Image Source: Internet