China Planned Galwan Valley Incident, Says US Congressional Panel Report

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in its latest annual report to Congress that the Chinese Communist Party has been employing its armed forces as a coercive tool during peacetime.

Washington: The Chinese government had planned the Galwan Valley incident in June, potentially including the possibility for fatalities, a US Congressional Commission has said, asserting that Beijing “provoked” the first deadly clash on the Sino-India border in nearly half a century.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party employs its armed forces as a coercive tool during peacetime, carrying out large-scale intimidation exercises around Taiwan and in the South China Sea, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in its latest annual report to Congress.

“This year, it provoked the first deadly clash on the China-India border in nearly half a century. China’s rising aggression has not gone unnoticed,” the report said.

In June, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Indian troops engaged in a massive physical brawl in the Galwan Valley, located in the far-western Ladakh region along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) separating the two countries, said the report dated December 1.

The clash, which followed a series of standoffs beginning in early May along multiple sectors of the LAC, led to at least 20 Indian deaths and an unconfirmed number of Chinese casualties, the first time since 1975 that lives were lost in fighting between the two sides.

Also read: Let Us Not Squander the Reprieve Given By the Galwan Valley Clash

“Some evidence suggested the Chinese government had planned the incident, potentially including the possibility for fatalities,” the report said.

For instance, several weeks prior to the clash Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe made a statement encouraging Beijing to “use fighting to promote stability.”

Just over two weeks before the incident, in another potential indication of Chinese leaders signalling their intent to escalate tensions, an editorial in China’s state-owned tabloid Global Times warned that India would suffer a “devastating blow” to its trade and economic ties with China if it got “involved in the US-China rivalry.”

Further satellite images depicted a large Chinese buildup in the Galwan Valley, including potentially 1,000 PLA soldiers, the week before the deadly skirmish, said the Congressional Commission created in 2000 for monitoring and investigating national security and trade issues between the US and China.

China and India have engaged in multiple physical clashes along their border for decades, but since General Secretary Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012 the two countries have seen five major altercations along their border. The exact motivations behind the Chinese government’s provocative behaviour on the LAC this year remain unclear, it noted.

“The proximate cause of the clash appeared to be India’s construction of a strategic access road to support troops stationed along the LAC. China has also built extensive infrastructure along the LAC in recent years. In the aftermath of the clash, Beijing asserted sovereignty over the entire Galwan Valley, a new claim and significant change to the territorial status quo,” the report said.

According to the report, the Chinese Navy has also regularly deployed diesel-electric and nuclear attack submarines in the Indian Ocean since 2013, which – despite their ostensible mission to support China’s Gulf of Aden anti-piracy task forces – serve to collect intelligence and signal to India that China could contest the Indian Navy or threaten commercial shipping.

Chinese hydrographic survey vessels also sometimes venture into waters around India’s strategic sites to collect intelligence, the report said, citing an example of India’s navy chasing away China’s Shiyan-1 research vessel in December 2019 after catching the vessel loitering without permission near Port Blair.

The Commission said that in 2020, China sought to project an image of confidence and increased efforts to portray itself as a global leader superior to the United States even as it faced an increasing array of challenges at home and abroad.

“Beijing ramped up its multiyear coercion campaign against its neighbours, provoking military or paramilitary standoffs with countries from Japan to India and much of Southeast Asia. Shortly after China’s defence minister urged Beijing to use military force to stabilise its periphery, a violent clash on the China-India border in June led to the first loss of life between the two countries since 1975,” it said.

(PTI)

News Channels Claim Old Images of Chinese Army Cemetery Are Graves of Galwan Dead

TV anchors of two media groups said the photos were exclusive and proved that near 40 PLA soldiers had died in the hands of the Indian Army at Galwan.

The deadly face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Galwan valley on June 15 led to the deaths of 20 Indian army men. The casualties suffered on the Chinese side, on the other hand, has been left to much speculation by the Chinese government thus giving rise to misinformation. While rumours have killed anything between five to 100 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers, the official death toll remains a mystery.

On August 31, however, Aaj Tak claimed to have obtained ‘exclusive’ images that prove “40 PLA soldiers” were killed in the cross-border skirmish. Anchor Rohit Sardana claimed in a passionate narration, “We are showing you pictures of the graves of Chinese soldiers. Several people in the country wanted proof of the Chinese soldiers who were killed in Galwan clashes. The proof is on your television screens…more than 40 Chinese soldiers died in clashes with India and you can watch how Chinese soldiers paid respect to their tombs.”

[Translated from: “आज तक एक्सक्लूसिव तस्वीरें. ये आपको दिखा रहा है चीनी सैनिकों की कब्र की तस्वीरें हैं. गलवान में जो झड़प हुई थी उसमें जो चीनी सैनिक मारे गए थे, जिसके लिए देश में भी बहुत सारे लोग खड़े हो गए थे कि सबूत कहां है उसका? उसका सबूत ये सामने टेलीविज़न स्क्रीन पर है…भारत से झड़प में चीन के 40 से ज़्यादा जवान मारे गए थे और उनकी कब्रों पर आप देख सकते है उनको श्रद्धांजली दी जा रही है”]

Aaj Tak’s English counterpart, India Today, also broadcast similar visuals. The channel showed satellite imagery of the same set of graves with two red arrows pointing at specific area claimed to be “new graves”. Anchor Nabila Jamal claimed, “China soldiers who died in Galwan clash buried at Kangxiwa war memorial. Pictures of that show graves being visited by PLA soldiers…proof of China’s massive Galwan casualties.”

Chinese soldiers, who died in #GalwanValley clash, buried at Kangxiwa war memorial. #IndiaChinaClash #galwanvalleyclash

Chinese soldiers, who died in #GalwanValley clash, buried at Kangxiwa war memorial. #IndiaChinaClash #galwanvalleyclash

Posted by India Today on Sunday, 30 August 2020

Times Now, on the other hand, claimed, “Photos of 106 PLA tombstones reveal [the] extent of Chinese casualties in June 15 Galwan clash.” The channel further wrote in a tweet, “PM Modi was right about Galwan grit, pro-China lobby ‘doubted’ India.”

Swarajya penned an article based on Times Now’s reportage.

NewsX and ABP News also broadcast shows where they claimed over 30 graves of Chinese soldiers who died in Galwan clashes were discovered.

Fact-check

These photographs are of the Chinese military cemetery in Kangxiwa town that contains graves of PLA soldiers martyred in the 1962 Indian-Sino war.

While Aaj Tak claimed that 40 PLA soldiers died in the Galwan clashes, India Today did not make a verbal claim on the death toll yet ran images of the cemetery as “proof of massive casualty”. An infographic aired during the show suggested that the cemetery has 105 graves. A defence expert invited on the show, however, said these graves have been present at least since December 2019 and some new graves have recently cropped up.

Alt News found that the Google Earth photo aired by India Today dates back to 2011. As per our calculation as well, there are 105 graves (43 on the left and 62 on the right) in this imagery.

Quite ironically, India Today had used the same map in a report published on August 29 which mentioned that it is from 2011.

We will break down the rest of the fact-check into two sections that separately count the number of graves on the left and right sides of the cemetery.

Number of graves on the left

A photograph of the cemetery which is viral on social media was found using Chinese search engine Baidu. It dates back to 2011 and clearly shows 43 graves on the left side. The last row (marked in red) contains only one grave.

 

On August 24, the Chinese military had shared a video of their visit to the war memorial on the micro-blogging website Weibo. The same video can also be watched on Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili. Here, the last row on the left has two graves (marked in red). It’s unclear when the new grave was built, however, it was certainly dug up after 2011. Thus bringing up the total number of graves to 44.

Number of graves on the right

Another image of the cemetery circulating on social media gives a clear view of 63 graves on the right. This image is also fairly recent as the last row on the left has two graves (marked in red circle).

If you notice the above image carefully, the last row on the right contains five graves (marked in red line). However, in the latest visuals uploaded by the Chinese military, there is a new grave in this row (marked in green below) bringing up the total number of graves in the last row to six and the total number of graves on the right side of the cemetery to 64.

This means the cemetery has 108 graves. The video uploaded by the Chinese military on August 24 also says that there are 108 graves in the war memorial.

[Tip: Upload images on Google docs or Google translate (phone) to extract texts.]

A document uploaded on the website of the Chinese Defence Ministry in April 2020 had put the total number of martyrs buried in Kangxiwa war memorial at 108. The military face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan reportedly took place in May-June. Thus the imagery aired by Aaj Tak and India Today cannot represent graves of Chinese soldiers martyred in these clashes.

In fact, we found another picture aired by India Today which dates back to at least December 2019. This picture was uploaded on Chinese question and answer website zhihu.com akin to quora.com. The date can be seen at the bottom of the article.

It is noteworthy that one of the widely circulating photographs may be recent but we were unable to confirm the antecedents of this grave.

To sum up the fact-check, India Today used a satellite image from 2011 to report on Chinese casualties in the Galwan clashes. The pictures aired by India Today, Aaj Tak and Times Now show the memorial in Kangxiwa that contains graves of Chinese soldiers who died in the 1962 war with India. Alt News found that at least three new graves were built on the site post-2011. Another picture of a grave that appears to have been recently built is floating online. However, we were unable to confirm the details of this grave.

Misinformation viral on social media

Journalist Sushant B Sinha tweeted pictures of the Kangxiwa war memorial as graves of Chinese martyrs in the Galwan clashes. “Do not except the ‘give us proof’ brigade to feel any shame,” he wrote.

Newly-founded website Kreately published a report claiming more than 100 Chinese soldiers were killed in the clashes. This was shared by BJP leader Kapil Mishra and party supporter Sanjay Dixit. Kreately had earlier promoted the false claim that Chinese dissident Yang Jianli had said that 100 Chinese soldiers died in Galwan skirmish.

Rishi Bagree tweeted “big blow to China and Congress” while claiming “35-106” Chinese soldiers fell in the Galwan clashes based on the same set of images.

Other Twitter users that drew hundreds of retweets were @IndoPac_Info and @BefittingFacts.

This article first appeared on Alt News. Read the original here.

MoD Document Crosses Modi Line on Chinese Intrusions, Gets Evicted From Ministry Website

The document says that the “Chinese side transgressed” into multiple points in Ladakh. This is contrary to the assurance Prime Minister Modi gave an all-party meeting in June.

New Delhi: A Ministry of Defence document which contradicted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s televised assurance in June that “no one has intruded into our territory” has gone AWOL from the MoD’s official website.

The document which stated that Chinese troops had “transgressed” into eastern Ladakh was a four-page compilation of “Major activities of Department of Defence for the month of June, 2020” ad was reportedly uploaded earlier this week but is now unavailable.

The second page had a sub-section with the title, “Chinese Aggression on LAC”. In it, the first paragraph stated:

Chinese aggression has been increasing along the LAC and ore particularly in Galwan valley since 5th May, 2020. The Chinese side transgressed in the areas of Kugrang Nala, Gogra and north bank of Pangong Tso lake on 17-18 May, 2020

The phrase that the “Chinese side transgressed” into multiple points in Ladakh is contrary to the language carefully used by the Indian government. The last PMO statement on the LAC situation had mentioned that Chinese soldiers had “attempted transgression” which was foiled by Indian troops.

Pages 1 and 2 of the now deleted document in the MoD website.

Pages 3 and 4 of the now deleted document in the MoD website.

The phrasing used to describe the position at the LAC has become a political hot potato, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s televised statement at the all-party meeting to discuss the India-China border tensions on June 19. The meeting had been called in light of the violent face-off at Galwan valley, which had left 20 Indian soldiers dead. 

Also read: Narendra Modi Didn’t Watch His Words on Chinese Intrusion So PMO ‘Censors’ Official Video

As the PMO’s official Twitter account also posted, Modi had stated in Hindi, “Na koi wahan hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai aur na hi koi ghusa hua hai, na hi hamari koi post kisi dusre ke kabze mein hai (‘No one has intruded and nor is anyone intruding, nor has any post been captured by anyone’)”.

This had led to raised eyebrows, as the MEA’s previous note dated June 17 describing the incident had said that the “Chinese side sought to erect a structure in Galwan valley on our side of the LAC”. If the Chinese had attempted to build the structure, it would mean that they would have stepped into Indian territory at some point.

The confusion over the prime minister’s remarks had led his office to issue a detailed clarification a day later

“…As regards transgression of LAC, it was clearly stated that the violence in Galwan on 15 June arose because Chinese side was seeking to erect structures just across the LAC and refused to desist from such actions…The Prime Minister’s observations that there was no Chinese presence on our side of the LAC pertained to the situation as a consequence of the bravery of our armed forces. The sacrifices of the soldiers of the 16 Bihar Regiment foiled the attempt of the Chinese side to erect structures and also cleared the attempted transgression at this point of the LAC on that day”. 

This template that Chinese troops had gone “just across the LAC” and it was only an “attempted transgression” was, thereafter, followed by the MEA. Sources had then explained that the phrase “across the LAC” does mean the Indian side of the LAC, but not too far from the boundary.

Also watch | ‘Chinese Are on Indian Territory in Depsang and Pangong; LAC Has Shifted Westward’

Following the Galwan valley clash, there have been talks between India and China at various levels. The military commanders have met five times to agree on the implementation of the consensus of the Special representatives for complete disengagement and de-escalation of troops at the LAC.

But, China has, so far, been adamant that it will not move from its position in Pangong Tso lake, which is much further into India’s territory along the undefined boundary.

“We also expect that the Chinese side will work with us sincerely for complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas,” said MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava at the weekly briefing on Thursday.

Major activities of Department of Defence for the month of June, 2020 by The Wire on Scribd

Pompeo: China Aggression in Ladakh, Claims in Bhutan Indicative of Intentions

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a bitter standoff in Ladakh. China recently staked claim over the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan.

Washington: “China’s recent aggression in India’s eastern Ladakh and claims for real estate in Bhutan are indicative of its intentions,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. He further asserted that Beijing under President Xi Jinping is testing the world to see if anyone is going to stand up to its threats and bullying.

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a bitter standoff in several areas along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh since May 5. The situation deteriorated last month following the Galwan Valley clashes in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

China recently staked claim over the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council and opposed funding the project.

Pompeo, during a Congressional hearing on Thursday, told the members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the actions are entirely consistent with what they have been signalling to the world for decades, you might even argue since 1989, but certainly since General Secretary Xi came to power.

The Secretary of State said China has the desire to expand its power and reach.

“They talk about bringing socialism with Chinese characteristics to the world. Claims that they have now made for real estate in Bhutan, the incursion that took place in India, these are indicative of Chinese intentions, and they are testing, they are probing the world to see if we are going to stand up to their threats and their bullying,” Pompeo said.

India-Bhutan border disputes with China.

“I am more confident than I was a year ago that the world is prepared to do that. There’s a lot more work to do, and we need to be serious about it,” said the top American diplomat.

In his testimony, Pompeo told lawmakers that India has banned 106 Chinese applications that threatened its citizens’ privacy and security.

Also read: A Guide to What’s Happened in East Ladakh, and the Way Ahead for India and China

“Our diplomatic efforts are working and momentum is building to mitigate the threats that the Chinese Communist Party presents. All 10 ASEAN nations have insisted that the South China Sea disputes be settled on the basis of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Japan led the G-7’s condemnation of China’s national security law targeting Hong Kong, he said.

“The European Union condemned the law too and also declared that China is a systemic rival to us,” he said.

At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Secretary General Stoltenberg has called to make China a greater part of that alliance’s focus.

India-China Standoff. Photo: PTI

We led a multilateral effort to ensure that the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organisation elected a director from a country that cared about intellectual property.

“Our QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) – the US, Australia, India, and Japan – has been reinvigorated. We’ve worked hard at this. Our diplomats have done wonderful work. I’m very proud of the progress we are making. In addition to these multilateral efforts, Department of Justice is cracking down on Chinese intellectual property threats,” he said.

The US has sanctioned Chinese leaders for their treatment of Uighur minorities in Xinjiang province, imposed export controls on companies that supported, and warned US businesses against using slave labour in their supply chains, he said.

The US has terminated special treatment agreements with Hong Kong in response to the Communist Party of China’s actions to deny freedom to the people of Hong Kong, he said.

We closed our consulate in Houston because it was a den of spies, Pompeo added.

(PTI)

Since the Clash in Galwan Valley, Ladakhis Feel Insecure, Fearful and Betrayed

Watching the PLA inch onto Indian territory, people who live on the frontlines are pained by the Union government’s inaction in the face of the Chinese ‘land grab’.

New Delhi: Over the past few weeks, the country has been assured and reassured periodically by the Ministry of External Affairs that there is no longer anything to worry about in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, the place on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China where, on June 15, 20 Indian soldiers including their commanding officer, were killed in a face-off with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

But the people of Ladakh, who are right on the frontlines, continue to worry.

Dubious of heightened Chinese activity in the Demchok area, Urgain Chodon, chairperson of the Nyoma Block Development Council, said on Facebook, “Whatever has happened in Galwan is not new, it has been happening since many years. People are in a state of panic, people are not afraid of coronavirus anymore, they’re afraid of the Chinese intrusion and the war-like situation here. Everyone here is frightened since the border inhabitants have to face the consequences first.”

Since the Chinese intrusion, Chodon added, the people of Galwan Valley have lost land where their cattle could graze, which means their livelihoods are threatened. Border patrolling, however, she said, appears to be limited.

Pangong Tso Lake on the India-China border region in Ladakh. Photo: Koshy Koshy/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

‘We can see them usurp our land’

“Intrusion is not new to Ladakhis, the only concern is that the Chinese have not withdrawn completely,” said Rigzin Spalbar, former chairman and chief executive councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. “But this time, the Chinese have occupied a very vulnerable and crucial point and the pronouncement by the Central government that there is no cause to worry makes us worry even more, because we can see the Chinese usurping our lands.”

By denying the presence of the Chinese on Indian territory, Spalbar said, India gives the impression that it is scared.

Ladakhis are certainly scared, says Drass-based Ghulam Rasool Nagvi, the chief spokesperson for the National Conference (Ladakh). He told The Wire, “People are fearful; people are in pain because of the inaction of the Central government on this land grabbing by China.” Over the years, China has “inched further” into Ladakh, he said and that Ladakhis have been losing “hard earned” land to them. “We don’t even have the space to protest because we know how this government functions. Today I protest and tomorrow I will be jailed,” Nagvi said.

Also Read: How Rajnath Singh Spilled the Beans on the PLA in Ladakh After Sustained Misinformation

The Galwan crisis has cracked open a set of developmental insecurities that need to be tackled as soon as poosible, observed retired Colonel Sonam Wangchuk, who received the Maha Vir Chakra for his service in Kargil.

“Perpetual land slicing, herders losing their grazing lands and concentrated commercialisation in and around Leh is posing obstacles for nomads and remote village folk,” Wangchuk told The Wire. “This crisis shows the lack of good infrastructure at the borders. If the army must be mobilised in any eventuality, it is going to be very difficult.”

Having served at Pangong Tso himself, Wangchuk spoke with good authority on the neglect faced by those who live on the borders. “If the Chinese apply the stick and carrot approach and try to appease the border folk, reshaping their minds to facilitate further encroachment upon Indian territory, it could pose major problems,” he said. “Any sort of laxity from our side in patrolling can aid the PLA and it is important to relay information to prevent such incidents in future.”

An Indian Army convoy moves along a highway leading to Ladakh, at Gagangeer in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district June 18, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Danish Ismail/Files

The irony of appropriation

For many Ladakhis, India’s low-key response to the Chinese aggression speaks not only of fear but also of the failure of policy. “During the Kargil War, India gave a bold, befitting response to the aggressors,” pointed out Sajjad Kargili, a social activist from Kargil. “But in this episode of military intrusion in Galwan, 21 years after Kargil, we see a clear failure of India’s foreign policy as well as domestic policy.”

Kargili pointed out the irony of the Central government’s sense of triumph over the reading down of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and its plans to regain Aksai Chin, when in actuality, it is China that is getting closer to Ladakh with every move. “Regional insecurity had increased since August 5 last year, but now the people feel a deeper insecurity because of the clash at the international border as well,” he said.

Also Read: Intelligence Failure on PLA Intrusions in Ladakh Brings Back Memories of Kargil

“Apprehension has become part of our life as Ladakhis,” said Deldan Namgyala, former MLA from the Nubra valley. “While many government officials and media channels have said that the situation is de-escalating, I can tell you that there is still a PLA presence in the Finger Four area near Pangong Tso, though it has decreased somewhat. The people of Chushul village still haven’t been allowed to return and even the BSNL network has been snapped,” he told The Wire.

The behaviour of the media has not helped calm Ladakhis at all, Namgyal added. “Reporters from channels like India Today and Zee News have been pointing to other peaks and calling them Galwan Valley, claiming that the PLA has moved out. But Galwan has a river which swells at this time of the year. Armies often move away for this reason,” he explained. “Claims that the PLA structures have been removed cannot also be completely believed because satellite imaging is not 100% accurate in mountainous valleys.”

Satellite image of Ladakh, with the Chinese claim line marked in yellow and the Chinese road from Yecheng in Xinjiang to Tibet in red passing through Aksai Chin in eastern Ladakh. Image: The Wire/Google Earth

Both the Indian Army and the PLA patrol the area to the point of Finger Eight (a western post near the LAC). But the PLA got to Finger 4 and then retreated back to 5, which puts Fingers 5-8 in their control, said Namgyal. “The increased movement of helicopters and fighter jets in this region has heightened anxieties among the locals. Many are already losing their livelihoods because of the capture of their grazing lands by the PLA,” he said.

The locals are uncertain, anxious and confused about what will happen to their homes. “The government has forgotten Ladakh after carving it into a Union Territory,” said Rigzin Dorjey, a student activist from Sakti village. “Ladakhis are able to sleep soundly only because of the Indian Army, but the Central government is apathetic to the Army as well. This silence and inaction on the part of the government insult the Army too,” added Dorjey.

A Logistical Battle Awaits the Indian Army’s Troops in Ladakh

A Herculean task of storing supplies to feed, clothe, equip and arm the existing and additional troops in Ladakh for the summer and winter awaits the Indian army.

Following the prime minister and defence minister’s visits to Ladakh, and amidst announcements of a calibrated pullback of troops from the present flashpoints on the LAC, all indications point to the fact that the three Indian divisions that have moved into the area are likely to be there for a considerable period of time, if not permanently.

The very decision to hold the icy desert brings to mind Napoleon’s quote: ‘Amateurs discuss tactics: professionals discuss logistics’.

To an average citizen, the very consequences of the concept of maintaining an army at Ladakh are incomprehensible. The logistics comprise of building a habitat for troops, the storage of ammunition and warlike stores; bringing in food and supplies; ferrying and storing fuel for vehicles, generators and also for heating the habitat to a temperature suitable for troops; storage of special munitions like missiles and rockets.

The largest winter stocking exercise in the world conducted by the Army, the Air force and a host of agencies unfolds every year from April to November to complete this task. Usually, approximately two lakh tonnes of stocks are transported and stored before the winter sets in, cutting off the region from the rest of the world. This year the logistical loads will increase at least two-fold, and yet, the time to accomplish the same remains the same.

The logistical load to be carried daily to feed, clothe, equip and arm the existing troops at Ladakh (approximately one lakh) has to cater for two days’ sustenance each day – one for a summer day and one for a winter day – as there can be no movement of convoys in the winter (November to March) when heavy snowfall precludes the use of the Zojila and Rohtang axes and most of the roads are impassable and closed. This period is termed as the ‘Road Closed ‘period.

Also read: A Guide to What’s Happened in East Ladakh, and the Way Ahead for India and China

Almost everything for the sustenance of troops, and the animals that support them, has to be brought into Ladakh from the outside. A cursory glance at the supply chain is in itself staggering. It starts from the source of the produce or equipment which is carried either by freight trains or roads and is collected at bulk storage or rail-road transfer areas where the freight trains are unloaded and items are loaded category wise into the Army’s frontline transport vehicles or private hired trucks.

These vehicles and petroleum bowsers then start the arduous journey of hauling the loads from these locations through the two existing axes to get into the Ladakh-Zojila (Zulu) axis that traverses Srinagar onto the Zojila pass (11575 feet) and then to Kargil-Leh and the Rohtang (Romeo) axis that winds its way from Manali to Rohtang pass (13058 feet) and on to even more formidable passes such as Bara Lachla (16043 feet) and Taglangla (17480 feet) and Leh. The convoys carrying stores and supplies ply daily and move to and fro in a very meticulously planned and monitored manner carrying an approximate 300 tons a day.

Yet the journey of the stores and supplies doesn’t end at the depots in the forward areas. The supplies have to be delivered to the troops at the forward posts in locations that are sometimes just perched on a razor’s edge on a mountain range which can be reached only by a jeep track hewn into the hillsides or a mule track just wide enough to allow one man or animal pass through. The skill and dedication of the drivers of vehicles and the animal handlers with their mules is a humbling lesson and an inspiration.

Indian army soldiers walk past their parked trucks at a makeshift transit camp before heading to Ladakh, near Baltal, southeast of Srinagar, June 16, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Stringer

The construction of habitat in this area is another unique aspect of this icy desert. Anything that has to be constructed must be planned over two to three construction seasons. A season being the five or six summer months of a year which is the only time when brick and mortar work can progress. Once temperatures drop starting from September, the water freezes and crystalises into ice and a simple requirement like mixing cement and sand for construction is rendered impossible.

A miscalculation of building materials and accessories can lead to a delay of a year with attendant adverse consequences. There is no source of electricity and all lighting and heating requirements are met by the use of generators. Fuel for warming and lighting brings with it a staggering supply of fuel and lubricants that is to be brought in and stored. The herculean task which is executed by the engineers’ regiments and the local labourers who build and replace bridges over rivulets with precision and construct a habitat for troops in harsh conditions at great risk is commendable.

Also read: From Troop to Poop, Difficult Terrain Brings Its Own Challenge for Army, and Officer

During the road closed period, Ladakh is connected only by an air bridge operated by the Indian Air Force from its bases in the plains. Heavy and medium-lift aircraft fly loaded with immediate requirements, medical casualties and personnel in a phenomenal yearly exercise only paralleled by the Berlin Airlift – only this airlift flies over terrain averaging 20,000 feet in height and imposes all up weight restrictions on aircraft taking off from Leh or Thoise (in Nubra valley) due to the rarefied atmosphere and resultant lack of aerodynamic lift to the aircraft. Flight operations and ground load management is a fine balance between weather for the air force and priority of requirements for the ground forces.

The induction of additional troops has imposed a requirement for additional supplies to be stored and ferried, leading to an increased movement of road convoys. This year, given the absence of tourism traffic, some of the road space has been freed up for the movement of convoys. Critical to the stocking exercise is increased storage facilities including the underground storage of fuel at logistic nodes in Ladakh and making available adequate private trucks. The air bridge has to be kept open solely for the movement of troops and fresh supplies. Supplies to this place too will increase exponentially, especially in the winter.

The slump in the regular trade-based movement of transport will free up a readily available fleet for hiring by the defence forces. The commissioning of the Rohtang tunnel as a means of keeping the intervening passes on the Romeo axis needs to be expedited. This can ease the strain on stocking up supplies and will also allow for prioritisation of what moves in the first phase till the roads are closed and what can keep moving along Romeo axis in the winters too. A humungous logistical challenge is before the planners in Ladakh and smart logic bolstered by pragmatic solution finding will yield successful results.

Major General Amrit Pal Singh (Retd) is the former divisional commander of an Army division in Northern command and was the chief of operational logistics in Ladakh between 2011 and 2013. He is the co-author of the book Maoist Insurgency and India’s Internal Security Architecture.

Rajnath Singh Says He ‘Can’t Guarantee’ Talks With China Will End Ladakh Standoff

Addressing Army and ITBP jawans in Lukung, the defence minister said that talks are underway to resolve the standoff in eastern Ladakh, “but to what extent it will be resolved I cannot guarantee”.

Lukung, Ladakh: India is not a weak country and no power in the world can even touch an inch of its land, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday as he visited Ladakh to carry out a review of the security scenario in the wake of the border standoff with China.

Addressing Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) jawans in Lukung, Singh said that talks are underway to resolve the standoff in eastern Ladakh, “but to what extent it will be resolved I cannot guarantee”.

“India is not a weak country. No power in the world can touch even an inch of India’s land,” Singh said at a forward post in Ladakh located on the banks of the Pangong Tso lake.

“We will not allow the sacrifice of soldiers to go in vain,” Singh said in an apparent reference to the killing of 20 Indian Army personnel during the Galwan Valley clashes with Chinese troops on June 15.

Also watch | ‘Chinese Are on Indian Territory in Depsang and Pangong; LAC Has Shifted Westward’

Singh arrived in Leh on a daylong visit, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General M.M. Naravane.

Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for over eight weeks since May 5.

The tension primarily escalated after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley that resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers.

However, following a series of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides began a mutual disengagement process at most of the friction points on July 6.

News Channels, BJP Leaders Share Unverified News Claiming 100 Chinese Soldiers Died at Galwan

An Alt News fact check has found that the claims repeated by the likes of Republic TV and Kapil Mishra are untrue.

The latest figure on Chinese casualties in the Galwan Valley, if social media claims are to be believed, is 100. BJP leader Kapil Mishra tweeted a report by an obscure website kreately.in which said, “Jianli Yang, a former Chinese military official and son of a leader in the Chinese communist party, accepted that ‘More than 100 Chinese soldiers were killed in the dreadful conflict between Indian and Chinese soldiers, in the night of 15th June.” Mishra’s tweet has over 11,000 retweets.

Republic TV also carried the claim in a report published on July 7. “In a massive claim, former Chinese military official Jianli Yang has alleged that more than 100 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers died in the violent face-off between India and China along the LAC on the night of June 15,” the outlet wrote. MyNation published a similar report.

The article by Republic TV carried a tweet by an account @Tsai Ing-Wen promoting the identical claim.

Twitter handle @NewsLineIFE was one of the earliest to share the claim.

Fact-check

There are several red flags that suggest the claim is false.

1. Claim promoted by dubious websites and accounts 

A platform that was one of the earliest to promote the claim was Twitter handle @NewsLineIFE which has emerged as a frontline purveyor of unverified numbers on Chinese deaths since the Galwan clash. The handle had tweeted the figure on July 2. The same account had earlier promoted baseless claims that five Chinese soldiers died and 11 were injured in the skirmish. It then tweeted that 43 Chinese army men were killed. Both tweets now stand deleted.

News Line IFE had tagged the handle @drapr007 while tweeting the claim. This handle had made the same claim a day earlier, on July 1.

A website that subsequently published an article with the ‘100 Chinese deaths’ was kreately.in, a newly-created platform. Its Twitter bio states, “Publish Yourself. Sign up and be a writer, it’s that easy.” The website is not a journalistic platform but publishes user-generated content. It also does not have any details of address or who runs it.

An article by newscast-pratyaksha.com was also shared by several individuals. The website claimed that 100 Chinese soldiers were killed by the Indian army and referenced The Washington Times opinion piece by Jianli Yang which we will talk about in the next section.

2. Yang Jianli’s opinion piece in The Washington Times 

Alt News found that no credible media outlets, mainstream or otherwise, have claimed that Yang Jianli said 100 Chinese soldiers were killed in clashes with India. The posts identified Jianli as former Chinese military official and son of a former leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

While Jianli is indeed the son of an ex-CPC leader, Yang Fengshun, he is not a former Chinese military leader. Jianli is, in fact, a Chinese dissident living in the United States. He is a human rights activist who studied in the US. He is a former Tiananmen Square activist and was imprisoned by the Chinese government in 2002 for attempting to observe labour unrest. Jianli was released in 2007.

He recently penned an opinion piece in The Washington Times on the Indo-China clashes where he wrote that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian did not acknowledge the Chinese death toll and termed Indian reports on at least 40 Chinese deaths as “false information”.

“What country does not even acknowledge the martyrdom of its uniformed soldiers at its borders, let alone pay them a respectable last homage? It is China, which reels under the fear that the admittance that it had lost troops, that too more in number than its opponent, could lead to such major trouble and domestic unrest, that the very regime of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be put at stake,” wrote Jianli.

Not one place in the report does Jianli put a number to the alleged Chinese deaths.

3. Tweet by imposter account carried by Republic TV

Republic TV carried a tweet by an account @tsaiing_wen. This is an account posing as the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The account does not have a verified blue tick, unlike Tsai Ing-wen’s genuine account @iingwen.

4. Old photos of Jianli used with the viral claim

The photograph of Jianli used by kreately.com is from the 2013 witness testimony on the human rights situation in China before the US House Subcommittee on Global Human Rights.

The image used by newscast-pratyaksha.com has been lifted from Wikipedia. As per its description, “Cropped Image of Dr. Yang Jianli Speaks at the opening ceremony of the 13th Interethnic Interfaith Leadership Conference held in U.S. Congress Rayburn House Office Building. December 10, 2018.”

False claim viral

The claim that 100 Chinese soldiers were killed in clashes with India was widely circulated on social media. Among those who promoted it were GD BakshiRamesh SolankiRadharamn Das and Chayan Chaterjee. Most of them shared the article by newscast-pratyakhsha.com.

This article first appeared on Alt News. Read the original here.

Debate: Galwan Is a Chapter in China’s Tireless Pursuit of ‘Lost’ Territory

Since the beginning of this decade, there is little in China’s approach towards its territorial disputes to suggest that China has a limited, rather than a maximalist, approach to recovering what it considers to be its lost territories.

Prem Shankar Jha’s piece in The Wire and the subsequent interview with Happymon Jacob on the Galwan standoff displayed a nuanced understanding of the India-China border issue but a troubling reading of China’s approach to territorial disputes.

Jha’s views do have the increasingly elusive quality of rising above party politics to define India’s national interest.

With regard to the Ladakh crisis he unequivocally identifies not rushing into war with China as India’s primary interest. Given that jingoism has hijacked policy and popular narratives, this suggestion is not misplaced.

However, the flaw in Jha’s perception of the situation is that he believes that:

(a) China has limited interests in Ladakh,
(b) it is India’s sole responsibility to create conditions for peace with China, and
(c) China’s asymmetric power leaves India with little military or diplomatic manoeuvrability in the present crisis.

While the last conclusion might be debatable, it leads to the wishful conclusion that once India recognises Chinese dominance as a fait accompli, then there is a real chance for a peaceful border in Ladakh. He advocates that India should appreciate China’s concerns in Ladakh vis-a-vis protection of the CPEC corridor that runs very close to rapidly developing Indian military infrastructure in the region.

Also read: Stalled China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Projects will be Revived

For China, CPEC opens up a dependable alternate route to gulf oil supplies incase the US blockades the China’s eastern seaboard in the South China Sea. Jha argues that if India gets comfortable with the CPEC running through the disputed territory and doesn’t harden its position on the ground especially in Daulat Beg Oldi, and then the border dispute in the eastern Ladakh will actually lose its significance for China. 

Jha’s assumptions of Chinese strategy are informed by an outdated understanding of Chinese foreign policy behaviour between 1980-2000 that prioritised stability as a primary objective in its relations with its neighbours and major powers. 

Since the beginning of this decade, there is, however, little in China’s approach towards its territorial disputes to suggest that China has a limited, rather than a maximalist approach to recovering what it considers to be its lost territories. Chinese approach in the South China Sea (SCS) is instructive in this regard.

In the SCS, China has moved in a span of 30 years from a declared policy of ‘shelving territorial disputes for joint development of marine resources’ to now claiming the entire SCS as its own sovereign territory, including the corresponding airspace. The trajectory of this approach is similar to India-China relations since the 1990s.

Also read: Reports on Chinese Behaviour Across LAC Are Exaggerated, Untrue: Lt Gen Narasimhan

Through the 1990s, China focused on economic growth, consistently followed a policy of ‘good neighbourliness’ putting territorial disputes on the back-burner. In the SCS, this translated to a low-intensity low-cost creeping occupation of marine features while increasing economic cooperation ASEAN nations.

In 2002, China and ASEAN signed the first SCS Code of Conduct (CoC) as non-binding agreement to manage maritime and territorial conflicts in the region. However, till today the CoC has not been scaled up to a binding agreement or produced a multi-lateral agreement on the geographical extent of territorial claims. Meanwhile, Chinese militarisation of the SCS has progressed apace and its territorial claims have expanded to include the entire sea.

Similarly, in the 1990s India and China concluded landmark agreements of 1993 and 1996 facilitated by the Chinese policy of avoiding conflict with neighbours. Since 1993, the major gain of the bilateral negotiations with China has been  the stability on the border and an exponentially improved but skewed economic relationship.

However, like in SCS, the long interlude of stability did not build trust to enable political negotiations on competing territorial claims. Despite several rounds of Special Representative talks and the working groups, India and China have not yet exchanged maps of the western and eastern sectors of the disputed border.

Now, it would seem that China has got a jump on India by pushing its claims in Galwan at the cost of the stability maintained on the border through carefully crafted CBMs.

Why has China risked decades of stable border management? 

Since the beginning of this decade, China’s approach towards territorial disputes has undergone a shift. China now seeks to alter the status quo to force a solution in China’s favour. This irredentism arises, not from specific calculations of particular disputes, but from a shift from the Dengist principle of ‘bide your time and hide your capabilities’ to the present assertive policy of ‘achieving national greatness’.

Since the mid-2000, veteran foreign policy officials like Ambassador Wu Jianmin associated with the Dengist policy of building partnerships with neighbouring countries were seen in China as obstructing China’s rise. China now viewed itself  not as rising but as returning power, i.e., returning to claim its rightful place at the top of the regional and global hierarchy.

This shift is initially perceptible in Hu Jintao’s 2004 ‘New Historic Missions of the PLA’ that envisaged consolidating China’s  threatened territories from a position of strength. Under Xi Jinping, both policy and public opinion is visibly in favour of a muscular approach with use of force in territorial disputes not just a legitimate but preferred option. 

Here, China has all but abandoned its pursuit of the image of a responsible power that it sought till the last decade, except in defence of the global capitalist system. In this decade China has already altered the ground situation SCS, East China Sea and most recently in Hong Kong

Also read: The Contentious International Waltz Over the South China Sea

 In the SCS, since 2012, China has adopted highly visible incremental actions, often in the teeth of regional and US displeasure, to enforce its expanded claims. In 2012, China established Sansha city on Woody Island in the Paracel archipelago, claiming to nearly two million square kilometres of the SCS. Sansha, a brand new city of less than 2,000 people, is nearly 400 kms  away from Hainan, China’s southernmost province.

Aerial view of Yongxing Island (Woody Island), the seat of Sansha. Photo: Paul Spijkers – http://www.airliners.net/photo/-/-/1527330/L, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51928254

China now patrols the stretch between Hainan and Sansha as its customs territory. Sansha hosts China’s Maritime Milita entrusted with enforcing Chinese territorial claims within its nine-dashed line. Earlier this year, China upgraded Sansha to a prefecture level city further entrenching its claims.

Similarly, in Mischief Reef, off the coast of Philippines, China has created artificial islands by dredging the sea floor. These islands now have an air strip capable of landing fighter jets, advanced radars and SAMs.  It took China less than five years to create this capability.

The Google Maps pin, pointing to Mischief Reef.

China  is now in a formidable position to defend its sea lanes of communication through Malacca Straits and deny freedom of navigation to other littoral countries as well as the US ships in the region.

The Chinese push into Doklam and Galwan is a part of the same  access-denial strategy. Galwan may have local triggers of India’s increased military infrastructure in Ladakh but it is following a pre-determined playbook of aggressively  staking claims on the ground, raising the costs of conflict to unacceptable levels for its neighbours, to force a solution in China’s favour.

Jha seems quite unconcerned with the Chinese asserting hegemony over the South China Sea and makes no noticeable link between the Chinese approach in SCS and in the Himalayas, except to flag China’s anxieties.

He argues that India must not see Chinese actions in Galwan as aggression but as a strong signal of China’s displeasure with India’s recent policies, including developing a strategic partnership with the US.

I would argue Galwan is not only a signalling exercise. China has changed the ground situation. If a diplomatic solution is not forthcoming, India will be forced to recalibrate either its political position on the LAC or undertake a costly military response to restore status quo ante.

Jha disagrees with the dominant view that PM’s Modi’s June 19 statement has weakened India’s territorial claims in Ladakh. He instead calls it an accurate depiction of the ground reality as there is no mutual agreement on the border and only contending claims lines in a ‘grey zone’. 

Also read: Narendra Modi Didn’t Watch His Words on Chinese Intrusion So PMO ‘Censors’ Official Video

The Galwan incident, Jha asserts, took place in the disputed territory and not in Indian territory, therefore Modi’s statement that no one entered Indian territory is factually correct. This is a nuanced bit of sophistry, advancing a bad fact.

While the LAC is not mutually agreed upon, however that does not imply that there is no mutual operational understanding of where the LAC runs. If that were the case, the border management agreements of 1993, 1996, 2005 and 2013 would have been impossible to negotiate and implement. In fact one of the key component of these agreements is to resolve the competing claims of the LAC at specific points, which China has consistently refused to do.

Satellite view of the Galwan valley and Shyok river. Image: The Wire/Google Maps

With Galwan, China has unilaterally abandoned the political commitment to maintaining a stable border.  While the border was unresolved, mutual faith in a stable border did make cooperation possible between India and China despite the increasing frequency of incursions/incidents.

For example, before the pandemic hit, the environment ministers of eight Himalayan nations, including India and China were scheduled to meet in Kathmandu to discuss a concerted approach to environmental governance of the Himalayas. That is clearly not a possibility anymore, till trust is restored on the heights.

Also read: Don’t Blame Modi for ‘No Intrusion’ Claim, Blame Him for Dramatic Shift in China Policy

Unfortunately, the most detrimental impact of this crisis will be on the fragile Himalayan ecology already reeling under militarisation on both sides of the border. Lamentably, Chinese actions have ensured that an Indian response hardening its defences all along the LAC, leading to further militarisation. Again, this is the same trajectory that we observe in the SCS, with Chinese dredging causing destabilisation of the seabed ecology followed by increased deployment and military activity by littoral nations. 

Jha’s arguments are based on his long held view that the 1962 war was provoked by India’s ill-advised forward policy.  He is right in suggesting that since the 1962 debacle, political and popular narratives of Chinese betrayal have clouded Indian perceptions often demonising Chinese actions across the board without much appreciation for context.

He fears that the June 15 Galwan incident should not become another chapter in this history leading to an unnecessary clash.

However, one must also not be clouded by expectation of pacifist/limited behaviour from China that is increasingly comfortable with deploying military force both internally and externally.

In the past 70 years, PRC has occupied Tibet and is now posing a major threat to choking off the water resources of South Asia through its dam projects. India is not merely defending a territory where ‘not a blade of grass grows’ but its ability to be a governing partner in the Himalayas. 

Sonika Gupta is associate professor, IITM China Studies Centre.

Galwan Clash: Indian Soldiers Killed Had Been Unarmed, Families Say

One of the Indian soldiers had his throat slit with metal nails in the darkness, his father said. Others fell to their deaths in the freezing waters of the Galwan river, relatives have learned from witnesses.

New Delhi: Indian soldiers who died in close combat with Chinese troops last month were unarmed and surrounded by a larger force on a steep ridge, Indian government sources, two soldiers deployed in the area and families of the fallen men said.

One of the Indian soldiers had his throat slit with metal nails in the darkness, his father told Reuters, saying he had been told by a fellow soldier who was there.

Others fell to their deaths in the freezing waters of the Galwan river in the western Himalayas, relatives have learned from witnesses.

Twenty Indian soldiers died in the June 15 clash on the de facto border separating the two armies. The soldiers all belonged to the 16th Bihar Regiment deployed in the Galwan region.

Also read: Army Says 20 Indian Soldiers Killed in Ladakh Clash With Chinese Troops, ‘Both Sides Now Disengaged’

No shots were fired, but it was the biggest loss of life in combat between the nuclear-armed neighbours since 1967, when the simmering border dispute flared into deadly battles.

Reuters spoke to relatives of 13 of the men who were killed, and in five cases they produced death certificates listing horrific injuries suffered during the six-hour night-time clash at 14,000 ft (4,267 metres) amid remote, barren mountains.

Reuters contacted the military hospital in Ladakh where the bodies were brought. The hospital declined to comment on the cause of death and said that the bodies were sent to the families along with the death certificates.

Reuters also spoke to two soldiers of the Bihar Regiment deployed in the area, who were among those who accompanied the bodies of fallen colleagues to their homes in the area. They were not directly involved in the melee.

The soldiers cannot be named because of military rules and all the families asked for anonymity because they said they were not supposed to speak about military matters.

The Indian defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the fighting on June 15.

In response to a Reuters query, a China foreign ministry spokesperson repeated previous statements blaming the Indian side for crossing the de facto border and provoking the Chinese.

Also read: After Violent Clash, China Claims Sovereignty Over Galwan Valley for First Time in Decades

“When Chinese officers and soldiers went there to negotiate, they were suddenly and violently attacked by the Indian troops,” the spokesperson said. “The rights and wrongs of the incident are very clear. The responsibility absolutely does not lie with the Chinese.”

China has not provided evidence of Indian aggression. China‘s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

‘Arteries Ruptured’

Three of the dead men had their “arteries ruptured in the neck” and two sustained head injuries caused by “sharp or pointed objects”, the death certificates seen by Reuters said.

There were visible marks on the neck and forehead, all five documents said.

“It was a free-for-all, they fought with whatever they could lay their hands on – rods, sticks, and even with their bare hands,” said a government official in Delhi briefed on the clash.

The Indian government has said that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) acted in a premeditated manner, but it has not provided a full account of the clash that stunned the country and stoked popular anger against China.

China has dismissed an Indian government minister’s claim that China had lost 40 soldiers from the PLA’s western theatre command deployed in Galwan.

Its envoy to Delhi suggested in remarks to local media and posted on the embassy website that there had been losses on both sides.

“The Indian army suddenly and violently attacked the Chinese officers and soldiers who went for negotiation, causing fierce physical conflicts and casualties between the two sides,” Sun Weidong said.

Indian government officials have told Reuters that the conflict began when the commanding officer of the Bihar regiment led a small party to Patrol Point 14 to verify whether the Chinese had made good their promise to withdraw from the disputed site and dismantle structures they had built there.

Instead, they came under attack by Chinese soldiers using iron rods and wooden clubs with nails studded in them on a narrow ledge barely four metres wide overlooking the Galwan river.

Bodies Found in River

In recent weeks the world’s two most populous countries have mobilised more forces along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC), and the renewed hostilities have triggered a diplomatic and commercial spat that threatens to escalate, experts including former Indian military officers say.

The possibility that unarmed Indian soldiers were overrun by a larger force could further fuel resentment against China and raise questions about why Indian soldiers were sent to a tense frontline without being armed.

Close up satellite image of the Y-bend in the Galwan River, site of the recent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15, 2020. The Line of Actual Control, shown in red, runs a little west of the Chinese claim line of 1960, shown in orange. But both lines show the area where the clash occurred, and the Galwan Valley as unambiguously on the Indian side. Image: The Wire/Google Earth

“How dare China kill our unarmed soldiers. Why were our soldiers sent unarmed to martyrdom?” Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party wrote in a tweet, demanding the government provide a full account.

A relative of one of the soldiers who accompanied Colonel Santosh Babu, the commanding officer, to the site of two tents erected by the Chinese troops told Reuters that members of the Indian patrol were unarmed.

They were confronted by a small group of Chinese soldiers and an argument ensued over the tents and a small observation tower the relative said, on the basis of conversations with two other soldiers who were present.

Reuters was unable to establish all of the details of what happened, but government officials in New Delhi briefed on the incident said that at some point Indian troops took down the observation post and the tents because they were on India’s side of the LAC.

Soon after the Indian side came under attack from a large Chinese force that pelted them with stones and attacked them with sharp-edged weapons, according to the families of three dead Indian soldiers, based on conversations they had with survivors.

Some soldiers retreated to safety on the ridgeline in the darkness, but when they could not find the commanding officer, they re-emerged and came under fresh attack, four family members said.

Babu was among those killed in the fighting, the Indian government said. One of the soldiers deployed in the area that Reuters spoke to said the Indian patrol was outnumbered by the PLA.

“The Chinese side overwhelmed our people by sheer numbers,” said the soldier, who overheard radio messages seeking reinforcements being sent to regional headquarters in Ladakh.

Three of the Indian families said they had been told by soldiers who were commissioned to bring the bodies back to them that some combatants pushed each other into the fast-flowing Galwan river.

Also read: ‘Fulfilled Father’s Wishes’, ‘Served for 22 Years’: The Lives of 7 of the Armymen Killed in Ladakh

The government official in Delhi also said bodies of some soldiers were fished out of the river the next morning. Some had succumbed to hypothermia, the official added.

(Reuters)