One Indian Army officer and two jawans have died after clashes took place between India and China at the Galwan Valley region in Ladakh. The Indian Army confirmed the developments and issued a statement soon in the matter. “During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place yesterday night with casualties. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers. The incident took place on Monday night. This is the first instance of casualty between the two sides since 1975. The Indian Army will hold a press conference at 2 pm.
Tensions have been growing in the Himalayas along one of the world’s longest land borders, with New Delhi and Beijing both accusing the other of overstepping the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that separates the two nuclear armed neighbors. The territory has long been disputed, erupting into numerous minor conflicts and diplomatic spats since a bloody war between the two countries in 1962. The Line of Actual Control runs between Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin and the rest of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region. The rough border line was the result of the India China border dispute in 1962, but neither side agrees exactly where it is or how long it is
India-China tensions escalated in the first week of May after a violent clash took place on Pangong Tso lake between troops of both the countries. The trigger as China’s opposition to India’s laying of key road in the Finger area around Pangong Tso as well as the construction of another route connecting Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road. In recent weeks, tensions have mounted as border patrols increasingly engaged in brawls. Both military commanders had been engaged in talks aimed at ending the stand-off.
Indian and Chinese border patrols typically do not carry firearms in their disputed border zones, under mutually agreed protocols intended to prevent an inadvertent escalation of violence. But troops have engaged in hand-to-hand combat at several locations along the disputed border in recent weeks. Indian officials said the previous clashes had resulted in a number of injuries to its troops. Beijing and New Delhi had been trying to calm their fraught relationship, despite deep mutual suspicion on both sides.
