Category: Union Territory

Nation’s salute: Army personnel and the public paying tributes to havildar Sunil Kumar in Patna on Thursday. He was among the 20 soldiers killed by the Chinese at Galwan.

The release follows agreement at Major General-level talks; no troops missing in action, says Army.
Three days after clashes in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh left 20 Indian soldiers dead, the Chinese on Thursday evening released 10 Indian Army personnel, including a Lieutenant Colonel and three Majors, from their custody.

A security source told The Hindu that all 10 persons were released around 5 p.m. after an agreement was reached at the Major General-level talks on Wednesday evening and they were returned unharmed.

Separately, the Army clarified in a statement that there were “no Indian troops missing in action”.

‘Soldiers were armed’

In another development, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the Indian troops, who were outnumbered and attacked by the Chinese side, carried arms.

“All troops on border duty always carry arms, especially when leaving post. Those at Galwan on June 15 did so. Long-standing practice (as per 1996 & 2005 agreements) not to use firearms during faceoffs,” Dr. Jaishankar said on Twitter, in response to a tweet from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Article VI of the 1996 agreement between India and China on “Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) in the military field along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas” says, “Neither side shall open fire, cause bio-degradation, use hazardous chemicals, conduct blast operations or hunt with guns or explosives within two kilometers from the line of actual control. This prohibition shall not apply to routine firing activities in small arms firing ranges.”

Commenting on the 1996 agreement, former Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. H.S. Panag said these agreements apply to border management and not while dealing with a tactical military situation. “Lastly when lives of soldiers or security of post/territory threatened, Commander on the spot can use all weapons at his disposal including artillery,” he said on Twitter.

The third round of talks at the Major General-level were held in the Galwan area. Specific outcomes from Thursday’s meeting were not immediately known, but a source said the talks were positive and there would be more meetings in the coming days. The effort was to reduce tensions on the ground and implement the consensus agreed on June 6 for de-escalation, the source added.

The Army had stated that both sides had disengaged from the site of the clash. However, both sides continue to retain a large number of troops in the general Galwan area following the build-up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) after the violent scuffle at Pangong Tso on May 5 and the standoff since.

In the first combat fatalities in 45 years along the LAC, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash after they were attacked by Chinese troops. About 80 Indian troops were also injured and all of them are said to be stable.

The Chinese PLA Western Theatre Command spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili said on Tuesday that the clash in the Galwan Valley had led to casualties on both sides, but so far China has not revealed the number of any dead or wounded.

The Foreign Ministers of the two countries held a telephone conversation on Wednesday in an effort to reduce tensions following the killing of the Indian soldiers.

(With inputs from Vijaita Singh; The Hindu)

Of the injured soldiers, 18 are at the hospital in Leh. The remaining 56 are spread across other hospitals, the sources said.

Highlights

• None of the injured soldiers are critical at present, said Army officials
• 18 of them are at Leh hospital and rest are spread across other hospitals
• The soldiers were attacked with rods, nail-studded clubs and rocks

New Delhi: 

Seventy-six soldiers of the army, who were injured during the clash with Chinese troops at Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on Monday evening are at various hospitals, army offcials shave told NDTV. None of them are critical at the moment and all of them should be able to get back on duty, the officials said.

Of the injured soldiers, 18 are at the hospital in Leh who are expected at their posts within 15 days. The remaining 56 are spread across other hospitals, who can join work in a week, the officials said.

Twenty soldiers had died in the clash on Monday evening that started after the Indian troops, led by Colonel BK Santosh Babu, tried to remove a tent belonging to Chinese troops.

The Indian soldiers were attacked with iron rods, nail-studded clubs and rocks wrapped in barbed wire in the fight near Patrol Point 14 — a vantage point in Indian territory that overlooks Chinese positions on their side of the Line of Actual Control, which is the de-facto border between India and China.

Though Beijing has given no official figure, army sources said at least 45 Chinese soldiers were killed or injured.

Earlier today, after newspaper reports discussed the possibility of some Indian soldiers being in Chinese custody, the army said all the soldiers involved in the deadly clash have now been accounted for.

Without commenting on the reports in The Hindu, the Army, said, ”It is clarified that there are no Indian troops missing in action”.

Talks between the two armies, however, remained inconclusive for the second consecutive day today. A Major General of the Army started the second round of talks today.

India has made it clear that it expects China to reassess its actions and take corrective steps. In a telephonic conversation yesterday, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar also told his China counterpart that the unprecedented development “will have a serious impact on the bilateral relationship”.

High resolution satellite images in possession of NDTV indicate Chinese attempts to block or disturb the flow of the icy Galwan river — located 15,000 feet above the sea level — less than a kilometer from the site of the violent face-off.

The images clearly show Chinese bulldozers operating on their side of the LAC, at a spot where the river’s flow appears to change.

This afternoon, thousands attended the funeral of Colonel BK Santosh Babu, which was carried out with full military honours in in Telangana.

With inputs from NDTV

The details emerged as an Indian Major General and his Chinese counterpart met for the second consecutive day near Patrol Point 14 in the Galwan Valley, where the clash took place.

IST

Highlights

• Images show China’s bulldozers in operation on their side of LAC
• Galwan river’s flow changes at spot where the bulldozers are seen
• The river is less than a kilometer from Monday’s clash site

New Delhi: 

High resolution satellite images procured by NDTV indicate Chinese efforts to block or disturb the flow of the Galwan river in Northeast Ladakh, less than a kilometer from the site of the deadly clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 in which 20 Indian officers and men were killed.

The details emerged as an Indian Major General and his Chinese counterpart met for the second consecutive day near Patrol Point 14 in the Galwan Valley, where the clash took place. The talks on Wednesday were inconclusive with the Chinese side showing no sides of disengaging from the area.

Indian soldiers were assaulted with iron rods, nail-studded clubs and rocks wrapped in barbed wire in the fight near Patrol Point 14, a vantage point in Indian territory that overlooks Chinese positions on their side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) or the de-facto border between India and China. There were a significant number of casualties on the Chinese side. Though Beijing has given no official figure, army sources say at least 45 Chinese soldiers were killed or injured.

The images acquired by NDTV clearly show Chinese bulldozers in operation on their side of the LAC. The flow of the river perceptibly changes at the spot where the bulldozers are seen – from flowing blue waters to a small, muddy stream which becomes imperceptible when it crosses over to the Indian side of the LAC a short distance away.

Indian Army trucks deployed in the Galwan Valley within two kilometres of the LAC can be seen parked in a mostly dry Galwan river bed. These images are not included in this report for security reasons.

NDTV has reached out to the Chinese Embassy for comment on this matter and will update this report if there is a reaction. Senior officers in the Indian Army have told NDTV that the river continues to flow within the Galwan Valley for the moment.

The images also indicate the depth of both the Indian and Chinese build-up in the region.

While NDTV is not showcasing the extent of the substantial Indian Army build up in the contested region, the images clearly show more than a hundred Chinese vehicles including trucks, military transports and bulldozers along the banks of the Galwan river on their side of the LAC. The Chinese motorcade stretches more than 5 kilometres.

Two areas appear to show pre-fabricated huts for accommodation.

It is believed that Chinese soldiers from these positions surged to the Line of Control on the evening of June 15 where both sides fought pitched battles. Reports suggest that some Indian soldiers were thrown off the cliffs in the area and either fell to their death or were exposed to the extreme cold weather. Reports have also suggested that some soldiers fell into the waters of the Galwan, though, as these images indicate, the river was barely flowing as it crosses the Line of Actual Control. The Indian Army could evacuate its soldiers only during the day of June 16 with the clashes ending only by midnight of June 15-16. Sources have told NDTV that hundreds of Chinese and Indian soldiers were involved in the clashes though there is no official account of the numbers. The clashes, in which an Indian Colonel was killed in action, are thought to be the most brutal clashes Indian and Chinese soldiers have ever been involved in.

Some Indian soldiers are still recovering at a hospital in Ladakh but more information on this is not being disclosed until the army declares that it is safe to do so.

With inputs from NDTV

India-China: Troops from both sides clashed at a point called PP-14 or patrolling point 14 a few kilometres from the LAC, the de-facto border between India and China.

New Delhi: No village has been evacuated close to the Line of Actual Control or LAC, army sources said today amid tension after a deadly face-off between India and China on Monday. Mobile network in border areas is operational; data services, though, have been snapped. The Srinagar-Leh highway remains open to traffic.
The clash took place at a point called PP-14 or patrolling point 14 a few kilometres from the LAC, the de-facto border between India and China.

New satellite images from Reuters taken on Tuesday shows a massive build-up on the Chinese side of the LAC. Sources say the army is apprehensive that the Chinese may deploy troops at Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PaK) to build pressure.

The army is reviewing decades-old rules of engagement with China of not opening fire on confronting Chinese troops. The Navy and Air Force are also on alert at the LAC.

On Monday, hundreds of soldiers clashed at a height of 15,000 feet, near the Galwan river. Indian soldiers were assaulted with iron rods, stones wrapped in barbed wire and nail-studded clubs in the fight that started in the afternoon and went on till midnight.

Soldiers were even thrown off a high ridge into the icy Galwan river. About 45 Chinese soldiers were also killed or injured, said army sources. The area also saw violent clashes in 1962, when Indian posts were overrun. But in over five decades, there had been no violence and no active Chinese presence.

With inputs from NDTV

PTI

Jammu: Jammu Police on Wednesday claimed to have solved a woman’s murder with the arrest of her husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, a spokesperson said.

The dead body of Rakha Devi (31) bearing injury marks was found at her residence in Satwari area of Jammu on April 23 this year, he said.

Her husband Chader Kant Tiwari had told police that she died after falling from the stairs, the police spokesperson said.

However, investigation revealed that on the day of the incident Tiwari had allegedly stopped Devi from visiting her mother and this led to a heated argument between the two, he said.

Later, Tiwari’s mother Sunehla and sister Sunita joined the fight. They allegedly caught Devi’s hands, while Tiwari hit her on head with an iron rod, the spokesperson said.

Tiwari, his mother and sister wanted to dispose Devi’s body, but a neighbour noticed them and informed police, he alleged.

Devi’s body was recovered and the post-mortem report overruled the theory that she fell from stairs, saying injury marks on the head were caused with a blunt object, the spokesperson said.

PTI

Jammu: Two more people have died due to COVID-19 in Jammu city raising the number of fatalities in Jammu and Kashmir to 71, officials said on Thursday.

A 65-year-old coronavirus positive man, who had returned from New Delhi along with three family members, died at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Jammu on Wednesday night, officials said.

He belonged to Bohri area of Talab Tilloo belt of Jammu city, the official said, adding that the family was under paid administrative quarantine at a hotel.

The officials said that a 68-year-old man belonging to Kote Garhi hamlet of Akhnoor tehsil too died at the GMC Jammu.

He had tested positive for the virus and admitted to the isolation ward of the hospital, they added.

PTI

Srinagar: Security forces have apprehended a militant from Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, an Army official said on Thursday.

“In a joint operation, security forces apprehended terrorist Imran Nabi Dar late last night (Wednesday) near Janglat Mandi, Anantnag,” the official said.

He said a pistol was recovered from the arrested militant, who had joined militancy on 10 May.

PTI

New Delhi: India on Thursday asked China to confine its activities to its side of the Line of Actual Control and that it must not take any unilateral action to alter it.

Referring to the Galwan Valley clash, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India was strongly committed to ensuring the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Speaking to reporters at an online media briefing, he also said that no Indian soldiers were missing since the Galwan Valley clash on Monday evening.

“Given its responsible approach to border management, India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the LAC. We expect the Chinese side to also confine its activities to its side of the LAC,” Srivastava said.

He said the two sides are in regular touch through their respective embassies and foreign offices besides maintaining contacts at the ground level.

“Meetings of other established diplomatic mechanisms such as Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs (WMCC) are under discussion,” Srivastava said.

“While we remain firmly convinced of the need for maintenance of peace and tranquility in the borders areas and the resolution of differences through dialogue, at the same time, as the prime minister stated yesterday, we are also strongly committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.

The Galwan Valley was the site of the violent clash between the two militaries on Monday evening in which a Colonel and 19 other Indian Army personnel were killed.

It was the biggest confrontation along the LAC between the two forces after their 1967 clashes in Nathu La in 1967 when India lost around 80 soldiers and China lost over 300 PLA personnel.

In a telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar too talked about the need for implementation of the decisions taken at the June 6 meeting.

Replying to a separate question, the MEA spokesperson said the external affairs minister will participate in the Russia-India-China (RIC) foreign ministers meeting on June 23.

Srinagar: Former Deputy Mayor Shiekh Imran who addressed media on behalf of 42 Corporators that were part of floor test and unseated Junaid Azam Matuu Thursday appealed police to probe a series of incidents involving those Corporators who fought against the outgoing Mayor.

“The Corporators who questioned the ‘corrupt’ practices of outgoing Mayor and defeated him in floor test are being targeted. I appeal people to conduct probe into a series of incidents and provide safe and secure atmosphere for these Corporators,” he said.

Sheikh Imran according to news agency KNT interacted with media here at Mayor’s Private Office in Srinagar.

“A live grenade was kept in the house of our youngest female Corporator Nazia. The vehicle of our another Corporator Afroza was damaged. I was myself hounded and pursued a couple of days back in Srinagar and I have filed a complaint at police station Barzulla. Some substances were mixed in the beverage of our 2 Corporators- Ashraf Palapori and Asif. They spat blood with saliva,” these incidents need to be probed,” he said.

While hailing the role of the police and Commissioner SMC in ensuring smooth floor test, Sheikh Imran said that Corporators should be provided security and secure accommodation.

“We do believe in democratic principles and ethics. We are here to serve people,” he said and denied the reports of being proxy of BJP. “Congress abstained in the floor test and so does BJP. Congress has 16 Corporators, while BJP has only 4 and is it possible that a party with 4 Corporators can oust a Mayor. Actually, all the Corporators cutting across party line joined hands to show door to ‘corrupt’ Mayor,” he said. (KNT)

5th Encounter this month in the district

Srinagar: Gunfight broke out between militants and government forces in Bandpawa village of Imam Sahib in South Kashmir’s Shopian district on Thrusday.

Reports reaching GNS said that a joint team of Police, Army’s 44 RR and CRPF launched a cordon-and-search-operation Bandpawa.

As the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them. The fire was retaliated by the joint team, triggering off an encounter.

A senior police officer confirmed to GNS the exchange of fire between the joint team and the militants. As per the sources, two to three militants are believed to be trapped.

Pertinently 17 militants were killed including some top commanders this month in Shopian district all alone.(GNS)