3 Indian soldiers killed in violent face-off with Chinese troops

NEW DELHI: Three Indian soldiers were killed in violent clash with Chinese troops, the Indian army said on Tuesday, following weeks of rising tensions and the deployment of troops from both sides.

The Indian army said there were casualties on both sides of the Himalayan frontier between in the Galwan Valley region of Ladakh, although China denied the reports.

“A violent face-off took place yesterday (Monday) night with casualties on both sides. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers,” an Indian army spokesman said in a statement. “Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation.”

An Indian army officer in the region told a news agency that there had been no shooting in the incident. China confirmed a clash took place but made no mention of casualties, accusing Indian soldiers of crossing into Chinese territory and attacking their personnel.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Indian troops “crossed the borderline twice… provoking and attacking Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical confrontation between border forces on the two sides”. 

“We again solemnly request that India follows the relevant attitude and restrains its frontline troops,” he said.

On May 9, several Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in a clash involving fists and stone-throwing at Naku La in India’s Sikkim state, which borders Bhutan, Nepal and China.

The Chinese foreign ministry said only last week that a positive consensus had been reached following effective communication through diplomatic and military channels.

In a later statement, India’s foreign ministry said the two sides would “continue the military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquillity in the border areas.”

Indian news reports suggested that Chinese troops remained in parts of the Galwan Valley and of the northern shore of the Pangong Tso lake that it occupied in recent weeks.

India and China have never even agreed on the length of the ‘Line of Actual Control’ and relations between the two sides have long been prickly.

In 2017, there was a 72-day showdown after Chinese forces moved into the disputed Doklam plateau on the China-India-Bhutan border.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese leader Xi Jinping sought to ease tensions at summits. US President Donald Trump also offered to mediate, but both countries sidestepped the offer.