WEB DESK / AGENCIES
A Commanding Officer of the Indian Army and two soldiers were killed in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night during a violent faceoff with the Chinese PLA troops, the Army said.
A statement released by the Indian Army on Tuesday said the casualties were suffered on Monday night and that a meeting is underway between senior officials of both militaries to defuse the situation.
“During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place yesterday night with casualties. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers. Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation,” the army said in a statement.
Sources said there were casualties on both sides, even as China called on India “to not take unilateral actions or stir up trouble”.
Hundreds of soldiers have been ranged against each other in the remote snow desert of Ladakh since April in the most serious border flare-ups for years after Chinese patrols advanced into Indian side of the de facto border.
The two sides had made headway in talks last week with army chief General MM Naravane saying disengagement was in progress. The development had come after weeks of tension, including an incident in which patrolling soldiers from the two sides came to blows on the banks of Pangong Lake, resulting in injuries.
They said senior military officials of the two sides are holding a meeting in Galwan Valley to defuse tension. A high-level meeting was also held between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the three service chiefs, CDS Bipin Rawat and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss the situation.
While the exact nature of the violent confrontation is not known yet, sources said no firearms were used. “During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place on Monday night with casualties. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers,” the Army said in a brief statement.
China’s Foreign Ministry Reacts | China foreign ministry, asked about Indian army reporting casualties in clash with China, says calls on India to not take unilateral actions or stir up trouble, news agency Reuters reported.