Amid heightened tensions between India and China following violent clashes between the troops of both sides at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday held a third meeting with the three Service Chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat.
Singh also spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.
Four Indian soldiers are reportedly critical after the unprecedented violent face-off with Chinese troops at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night which also claimed the lives of 20 Indian Armymen including officers.
On Tuesday, Rajnath Singh held a meeting with Jaishankar, the CDS and Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane at his residence.
Before the second round of meetings, Rajnath Singh had briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the prevailing situation in Ladakh.
On Monday night, three Indian soldiers, including an officer, were killed during a violent face-off with Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops at patrolling point number 14 at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh region at Line of the Actual Control.
An Indian Army statement issued on Tuesday night said, “17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty at standoff location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain, they have succumbed to their injuries, taking the total that were killed in action to 20.”
Sources quoted by news agency ANI have claimed that Indian intercepts revealed that the Chinese side suffered over 40 casualties including dead and seriously injured in the face-off at Galwan valley.
Meanwhile, India has hit out at China for “unilaterally” attempting to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, which led to the killings of troops of both the countries in a violent clash on Monday night.
“Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side,” said Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava late on Monday night.
The violent face-off comes even as de-escalation talks have been going on ground in eastern Ladakh since the past few weeks through military and diplomatic channels.