In what is being called the deadliest escalation with the Chinese forces in 45 years, a violent face-off between the Indian and the Chinese forces has resulted in 20 casualties on the Indian side and an estimated 43 on the Chinese side.
Among the 20 Indian Amry personnel who lost their lives on Monday was the Commanding officer of an infantry battalion of the Indian Army. Although the two troops engaged in tension along the border for a few weeks now, the incident on Monday night comes as an unprecedented development.
The Chinese, reacting to the incident, has warned India to not cross the borderlines. Zhao Lijan, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said,
“China has lodged solemn representations and protests in India. Here, we are sternly demanding India to earnestly abide by the relevant agreement and strictly restrain their frontline troops. They should not cross the borderlines.”
Initially, it was reported that 2 Indian soldiers and one officer had lost their lives in the face-off at the Galwan valley but later the Indian Army put out a statement saying that there are at least 20 casualties on the Indian side. India has blamed China’s People Liberation Army for the incident that happened. India alleged that the PLA didn’t respect the line of actual control.
India Accuse Chinese Of Disrespecting LAC
Hours after the Chinese spokesperson said that India should not cross the border, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement that said that the escalation happened because the PLA made an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the Galwan Valley. The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said that the casualties on both sides could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese.
The Chinese envoy in New Delhi had staged a protest demanding that India should strictly restrain it’s frontline troops and not cross the border. Meanwhile, the New Delhi’s envoy in Beijing was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs where the foreign minister Luo Zhaohui protested against the alleged move by the Indian forces to cross the border. Spokesperson of Indian Ministry of External Affairs, lastly, said,
“While it was our expectation that this would unfold smoothly, the Chinese side departed from the consensus to respect the LAC in the Galwan valley.”
Source: The Times of India
