With the Indian and Chinese forces remain eye to eye in several disputed regions along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, the possible confrontation could become the biggest military face-off since the Dokhlam episode in 2017.
According to the top military sources, India has been strengthening its forces in Pangong Tso and Galwan valley, the areas where Chinese is believed to have deployed 2000-2500 of its troops. As per the top official in the military who chose to remain anonymous, the strength of the Indian Army is better than its adversary.
The presence of Chinese troops in several regions along the Galwan valley has been a major cause of worry for the Indian Military. The former Northern Army commander Lt. Gen (Retd) DS Hooda said that the situation is serious as it is not a normal kind of transgression by the Chinese army. He said it is particularly worrying because the two sides have not had a dispute along the region where the transgression is happening. Ashok K Kantha, the strategic affairs expert ambassador, said,
“There have been multiple incursions by Chinese troops. This is something that causes concern. It is not a routine standoff. This is a disturbing situation.”
Over 100 soldiers injured in the past month
As the armies stand eye-to-eye in several regions and the tension in those regions escalating, the sources say that diplomatic efforts must be ramped up soon to resolve the tension. The Chinese army has ramped up 100 tents in the Galwan valley in the last two weeks and has brought in heavy equipment for the construction of bunkers.
On the evening of May 5th, around 250 Indian and Chinese soldiers engaged in violent faceoff as the situation in Eastern Ladakh deteriorated quickly. The face-off went on till the next day before both sides agreeing to disengage. Over 100 soldiers on both sides were left injured. A similar incident happened in North Sikkim on May 9th. Nearly 150 soldiers were involved that ended with at least 10 soldiers on both sides being injured.
At the media briefing, the external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava condemned and rejected the Chinese claims that the reason behind the escalation in the valley is because of the trespassing by the Indian forces on the Chinese side of the line.
