INDIA DEPLOYS ITS AIR DEFENCE SYSTEMS IN THE LADAKH SECTOR

NEW DELHI: As part of its military readiness plan to deter any aggressive move by Chinese forces in eastern Ladakh, India has deployed its air defence weapon systems in the sensitive sector where tensions rose sharply after a brutal brawl in Galwan valley left 20 Indian troopers dead, people familiar with the developments said on Saturday. The June 15 clash left an unconfirmed number of Chinese troops dead.

“In this heightened state of readiness, necessary measures have been taken by all services working in an integrated environment to ensure that we are ready for all eventualities,” said one of people cited above.

The air defence weapons in the Indian military arsenal include the indigenous Akash, the Israeli SpyDer and Soviet-origin Pechora and OSA-AK systems.

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “retract” his statements made at the all-party meeting on the Galwan Valley skirmish with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that left 20 Indian Army soldiers dead on June 15.

Addressing a virtual press conference, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, “It is not too late for the PM to retract his ill-advised misstatements. When India’s security is in issue no Prime Minister should hesitate to state facts to build trust. Otherwise the Chinese will use his statement to their advantage which will hurt us persuading our friends globally.” The PM’s statements must be based on facts and instil confidence, he said.

During the all-party meeting on June 19, the PM had said, “No one has intruded into our territory. No one is present in our territory. None of our posts are in possession of anyone.”