The Galwan Valley Face-Off

Introduction:

The Indian soldiers had one of the deadliest clashes with the Chinese soldiers in decades for the first time after the  1962 war at Indo-Chinese border at Ladakh that 20 Indian soldiers have been martyred including the Commanding Officer in Galwan Valley. “ This violent face-off came at a time when both South Asian neighbors were engaged in de-escalation in the high altitude area.”[1]There were tensions between the Indian army and the Chinese troops since last few weeks near Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Series of Events in Galwan Valley

The first clashes between the Indian and the Chinese troops happened around 5^th and 6^th May near Eastern Ladakh and North Sikkim on 9^th May and the additional troops were moved to LAC by both the countries. Then, around 12^th May Chinese choppers were seen flying close to the border and the Indian Air Force, dispatched Sukhoi Su- 30 MKI fighter aircraft along the LAC. After this, several talks took place between the Indian and Chinese sides. After the talks between India and China on June 6, “there were hopes of an early disengagement and de-escalation after conciliatory statements from both countries and after the various meetings from 10^th June which were to continue for 10 days the disengagement process would have been deciding and finalized.”[2] “After these, the Chinese came back and set up camp on the Indian side. India dismantled the camp following which the scuffle broke between the troops of both sides.”[3]

The Event

The event took place after the series of events and talks and as discussed in the talks the Chinese army did not take back their troops in the Galwan valley in Ladakh. This, “violent clash happened when the Chinese side departed from the consensus to respect the LAC and attempted to unilaterally change the status quo”.[4] The face-off took place when the Chinese troops did not follow what was decided in talks i.e. to disengage and to go back from the Indian side of the Galwan.

As mentioned above after India dismantled the camp previously Chinese soldiers went back and came in large numbers and this led to some stone pelting on 14^th June.  On 15^th June the clashes broke out as the Chinese troops did not move back and in an attempt to this the team of Indian soldiers led by the Commanding Officer set out to hold discussions with them. They refused to move back and attacked Indian soldiers with boulders, rocks, etc. , the Indian side also retaliated and the first hit by them the CO was grievously injured.  

After this, the same unit led by Major went back to that area and raided again and things escalated even further. The Chinese troops were assaulted brutally by the Indian army and casualties happened on both sides and many soldiers were injured from both sides. The fighting continued till late into the night with stones, with barbed wires which caused severe injuries to various until the brigadier-level Chinese officer waved for peace and asked not to fight.

The Indian Army following day i.e. on 16^th June said that almost 20 Indian soldiers have been martyred in the violent face-off in Galwan valley in Eastern Ladakh. It also said that the same number of Chinese soldiers have been martyred even though the exact numbers were not known from their side. Earlier the reports said that an Indian army officer and two soldiers were killed but 17 soldiers who were injured critically succumbed to their injuries as they were exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high- altitude terrain. Furthermore, “ the Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged the Galwan area where they had clashed on the night of 15^th June after the incident.” [5]

Conclusion

The violent face-off which took place between the Chinese and Indian soldiers was one of the most deadliest after the 1962 war between both the countries. The face-off claimed the lives of the many soldiers from both sides and this face-off happened eve after the negotiations held by both the countries. The Chinese soldiers did not disengage and did not move back to their side and this ultimately led to the face-off between both sides.

References:

[1]ShaliniOjha , Indo-China clash – What Happened at Galwan Valley? Here’s  a Timeline, News Bytes , https://www.newsbytesapp.com/timeline/india/62275/292028/sequence-of-events-what-happened-at-indo-china-border , 17th June,2020 ( 22/6/2020 11.36 am)

[2]Sushant Singh, India-China Galwan Face-off : How Serious is the situation , What happens next? , Indian express, https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/gulwan-faceoff-china-india-border-dispute-explained-6463394/, 19^th June, 2020, (23/6/2020  1.05 pm)

[3]Shiv Aroor , Violent India- China clash at LAC: What really happened that night, India Today , https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/bloody-india-china-faceoff-at-lac-timeline-of-galwan-clash-1689785-2020-06-17, 20^th June, 2020 (23/6/2020 21.29 pm)

[4]Amit Chaturvedi , Face-off between India and China in Galwan Valley : Here is what we know , Hindustan Times, https://m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/face-off-between-india-and-china-in-galwan-valley-what-we-know-so-far/story-NNjwanbGiNiyAhQhnmj25I.html , 17^th June, 2020 (23/6/2020 , 21.57 pm)

[5] Zee Media Bureau , 20 Indian Army soldiers martyred in Galwan Valley, almost the same number of Chinese troops also killed, Zee News, https://zeenews.india.com/india/india-china-suffer-casualties-both-sides-lose-20-soldiers-in-violent-face-off-in-ladakh-2290338.html , 16th June , 2020 ( 24/6/2020 12.40 pm)