Indian Army pays tribute to soldiers who died in LAC clash
NEW DELHI: Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane on Tuesday led the force in hailing the valour of the 20 soldiers who laid down their lives while defending the country’s territorial integrity in the face of “unprecedented” Chinese aggression at the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh a year ago.
On the first anniversary of the deadly clashes, the army said the supreme sacrifice of the soldiers while fighting the adversary in the “most difficult” high altitude terrain will be “eternally etched” in the memory of the nation.
“In the face of unprecedented Chinese aggression, 20 Indian soldiers laid down their lives defending our land and inflicted heavy casualties on the PLA (People’s Liberation Army,” the army said.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi asked the Union government to come clean on the Galwan Valley incident and sought to know the progress made in restoring status quo ante at the border.
“The Congress party reiterates its concern that no clarity is yet available and the prime minister’s last word on the subject a year ago was that no transgression had occurred,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.
NEW DELHI: Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane on Tuesday led the force in hailing the valour of the 20 soldiers who laid down their lives while defending the country’s territorial integrity in the face of “unprecedented” Chinese aggression at the Galwan Valley in Ladakh a year ago.
On the first anniversary of the deadly clashes, the Army said the supreme sacrifice of the soldiers while fighting the adversary in the “most difficult” high altitude terrain will be “eternally etched” in the memory of the nation. “General MM Naravane #COAS & All Ranks of #IndianArmy pay homage to the #Bravehearts who made supreme sacrifice in Galwan Valley #Ladakh while defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country. Their valour will be eternally etched in the memory of the #Nation,” the Army tweeted. In the first deadly clash in the border area in nearly five decades, 20 Indian soldiers were killed on June 15 last year in the Galwan Valley in fierce hand-tohand combat with Chinese troops, triggering a large deployment of troops and heavy weaponry by both armies at the friction points in eastern Ladakh.
In February, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes, though it is widely believed that the death toll was higher. The Army’s Leh-based 14 Corps, popularly known as Fire and Fury Corps, also paid homage to the “Galwan Bravehearts” on the first anniversary.
“In the face of unprecedented Chinese aggression, 20 Indian soldiers laid down their lives defending our land and inflicted heavy casualties on the PLA (People’s Liberation Army),” the Army said. Major Gen Akash Kaushik, the officiating general officer commanding of the Fire and Fury Corps, laid a wreath at the iconic Leh war memorial while paying homage to the fallen heroes. The 14 Corps takes care of guarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in the Ladakh region.