6 jawans, 4 officers in Chinese custody freed

IAF fighter aircraft seen flying sorties in Ladakh

China released 10 Indian soldiers, including four officers, on Thursday evening. They were captured during the violent face-off in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on June 15.

It took three days of hectic negotiations between Leh-based 3 Infantry Division commander Major General Abhijit Bapat and his Chinese Army counterpart before the Chinese agreed to release the soldiers. According to sources, the Chinese Major General had showed photographs of these soldiers to the Indian side to assure them about their safety.

All 10 soldiers walked back on Thursday evening and underwent a medical check-up. They will be de-briefed about their stay in Chinese custody.

The Indian Army had said on Thursday that there are no Indian troops missing in action in Galwan Valley. “As far as I know, China is not detaining any Indian personnel at present,” said a spokesperson of China’s foreign ministry on Friday.

Some 20 Indian soldiers including 16 Bihar’s Commanding Officer Colonel B. Santosh Babu were killed and 76 injured during the clash on Monday night.

The situation in Ladakh is tense. Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria was on a two-day visit to the Leh and Srinagar airbases, which was not made public. These two bases will be important for any action in eastern Ladakh. He visited some forward locations too.

The IAF chief is reported to have checked the operational readiness and reviewed the preparation of all platforms deployed in these bases. The IAF has deployed Sukhoi30MKI, Mirage 2000 and Jaguar aircraft to advance positions. A number of IAF fighter aircraft were seen flying sorties in Ladakh on Friday. India has put the defence forces on high alert.

IAF has also deployed its latest acquisition, the Apache attack helicopters, in the Leh area to support the Army. These helicopters are armed with air-to-ground Hellfire missiles, 70 mm Hydra rockets and air-to-air Stinger missiles.

The Indian Air Force has deployed Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage 2000 and Jaguar aircraft to advance positions.