Colonel B Santosh Babu from the Bihar regiment was from Telangana. The other two soldiers who lost their lives were Havildar Palani from Tamil Nadu and Sepoy Ojha from Jharkhand.
New Delhi| Three Indian Amry soldiers Colonel B Santosh Babu, Havildar Palani, and Sepoy Ojha were killed in the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops on Monday night at Galwan valley region in Ladakh. This comes as a massive escalation amid two weeks of efforts to defuse weeks of tension at the border.
Colonel B Santosh Babu from the Bihar regiment was from Telangana. The other two soldiers who lost their lives were Havildar Palani from Tamil Nadu and Sepoy Ojha from Jharkhand.
According to the sources from the army, as reported by NDVT, the soldiers were not shot but were killed in a physical fight on the Indian Territory that involved stones and batons.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the clashes took place “as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo there”.
“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.” Anurag Srivastava, the MEA spokesperson said.
Countering China’s claim of Indian soldiers entering the Chinese Territory, the MEA said, “India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control. We expect the same of the Chinese side.”
As per the official statement, Major Generals of both sides held talks to deescalate the situation after the face-off.
Earlier today, Beijing accused India of crossing borders and entering its territory. Zhao Lijian, Foreign Ministry spokesman of China, told reporters that Indian troops crossed the border twice on Monday, “provoking and attacking Chinese personnel, resulting in a serious physical confrontation between border forces on the two sides”. He also said that Beijing has lodged “strong protests and solemn representations” to Delhi.
“We again solemnly request that India follows the relevant attitude and restrains its frontline troops. Do not cross the border, do not provoke trouble, do not take any unilateral action that would complicate the border situation,” he said.
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