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Srinagar: Two more COVID-19 patients died at a hospital here, taking the number of fatalities due to the novel coronavirus in the Union Territory to 74, officials said on Friday.

Both the deaths took place at SKIMS hospital in Soura area of the city here, the officials said.

A 79-year-old man from Nowshera area of Srinagar, who had tested positive for COVID-19, died at 11:15 pm on Thursday night, the officials said.

They said the patient was admitted to the hospital on June 8 and was suffering from hypertension, hypothyroidism, with bilateral chest infiltrate.

He had contact history with a positive patient, they said.

In another death at the hospital, an 80-year-old man from Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district passed away at 9 am in Friday, the officials said.

They said the patient suffering from hypertension and cardiac failure was admitted to the hospital on June 17.

His sampling was done that day only and the report returned as positive the next day, they added.

Slain include two who had taken refuge in a mosque at Meej, Pampore, IGP Kashmir says sanctity of mosque maintained, no firing, IED used, Only tear smoke shells used

Shopian: Eight militants were killed in two separate encounters in Southern districts of Pulwama and Shopian in the past 24 hours. The slain include two militants who had taken refuge inside a mosque in Meej area of Pampore in Pulwama district.

Earlier in the day yesterday, one unidentified militant was killed in an encounter that broke out in the village Bandpawa in Chitragam Tehsil of Shopian district.

Officials said that with the first light of the day, four more militants were killed taking the total number of slain militants in Bandpawa gunfight to five.

A security official told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that as the operation progressed, amid heavy exchange of firing from both sides, four more militants were killed in the gunfight taking the total number of militants killed to five. “The bodies of five slain have been retrieved and their identity and affiliation is being ascertained,” the official said, adding that the arms and ammunition have been recovered from the slain militants.

Defence spokesman in Srinagar Colonel Rajesh Kalia, however, confirmed the killing of four militants stating that the Ops was on.

About the Meej encounter in Pampore area of Pulwama, Inspector General of Police Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar said that “patience and professionalism worked.”

“No use of firing and IED. Used tear smoke shells only. Maintained sanctity of the mosque. Both militants hiding inside the mosque neutralized,” he said. With the killing of two more militants, the total number of slain militants in Meej gunfight has reached to three as of early morning yesterday, one unidentified militant was killed while two had entered into a local mosque.

In two separate encounters, the number of militants killed has reached to eight in the past 24 hours.

Defence spokesman in Srinagar Rajesh Kalia said that maintaining the sanctity of the mosque, two militants hiding inside the mosque have been killed. “Total three militants killed. It was a precise operation with no collateral damage ensured,” he said.

Pertinently, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar recently said that militancy stands almost wiped out from South Kashmir and the police would now shift its focus on north Kashmir from next month.

This year so far, 102 militants including top commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed that include Reyaz Naikoo, the chief operational commander of Hizbul, Bashir Koka of Lashkar and Abdur Rehman alias Fouji Bhai of Pakistan, who was an IED expert of Jaish.

Figures suggest that 72 militants including the five slain today, were killed alone since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in Kashmir on March 20. In the past two weeks, 32 militants were killed in two southern districts of Shopian and Pulwama—(KNO)

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