20 Indian soldiers died for their country in a violent clash with China in eastern Ladakh
New Delhi:
The military changed the rules of engagement along the LAC (real line of control) with China, empowering commanders on the ground to sanction the use of firearms in “ extraordinary ” circumstances. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said earlier that the military had the flexibility to deal with the situation on the ground.
Under the previous rules of engagement – agreements signed in 1996 and 2005 – neither party opened fire on the other. The two countries also agreed not to use blasting explosives or firearms within two kilometers of either side of the LAC.
The decades-old rule changes come less than a week after a violent confrontation in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
76 other Indian soldiers were injured. Army officials told GalacticGaming. None of them have suffered serious injuries and are expected to return to work within a week, officials said.
Indian troops were attacked with iron rods, studded sticks and rocks wrapped in barbed wire during the battle near Patrol Point 14 – a view of Indian territory overlooking Chinese positions on their side LAC, the de facto border between the two countries.
Neither the military nor the government has commented on the number of Chinese soldiers injured or killed, but sources told GalacticGaming that the number is 45. This information is based on interceptions as well as Chinese helicopters seen In the region.
The deadly clashes are the worst in 45 years. In 1975, four Assam Rifles soldiers were killed in the Tulunug La Pass in Arunachal Pradesh during a routine patrol.
The violence in Ladakh has also sparked a political storm with congressional leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi questioning the government about possible intelligence failures in preparing for the clash.
Before Friday’s multi-stakeholder meeting, Ms. Gandhi asked, “Didn’t military intelligence alert the government to the intrusion and the build-up of massive forces along the LAC …?”
Gandhi, who called PM Modi “Surender Modi” this morning, has since shown satellite images to say that China “captured Indian territory near Pangong Lake.”
Southern actor and politician Kamal Haasan took part in the debate today, asking the government to explain how the lives of Indian soldiers were preserved.
One day after the confrontation, Prime Minister Modi said that “the country will be proud to know that our soldiers died fighting the Chinese” and that “value and courage are the character of our country”.
“We never provoke anyone but we will not compromise with integrity and sovereignty. Whenever the time has come, we have proven our strength and our ability to protect our integrity and our sovereignty,” said the Prime Minister.
India blamed the clashes on “an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo”, refuting China’s claims that Indian soldiers had crossed the border.
