China unilaterally tried to change LAC status quo, took premeditated actions causing casualties: India

The Indian Army lost 20 soldiers in the deadly face-off with Chinese troopers on the night of June 15.

Unconfirmed reports claimed the Chinese side too suffered casualties during the fierce clash at the Galwan Valley, which is close to Aksai Chin, an area that is controlled by China but claimed by both the countries.

According to the MEA statement, India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the LAC. 

The face-off happened even as India and China had been discussing through military and diplomatic channels the de-escalation of the situation in the border area in Eastern Ladakh.

"On 6th June 2020, the Corps Commanders of India and China held a meeting in the Chushul Moldo region where an agreement was reached on de-escalation and disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Ground Commanders were meeting regularly to implement this consensus throughout last week," the statement said.

MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that while India was expecting that the disengagement along the LAC would unfold smoothly, "the Chinese side departed from the consensus to respect the LAC in the Galwan valley."

"On the late evening and night of 15th June 2020, a violent face off happened when the Chinese side unilaterally attempted to change the status quo there. They took premeditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties suffered by both sides," he said during a press briefing.

The Indian side believes the encounter could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side.

"We expect the Chinese side to also confine its activities to its side of the LAC," he said.

Shrivastava informed that during a telephone conversation with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conveyed that the need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps.

"They should strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control and not take any unilateral action to alter it. It was agreed that both sides would implement the dis-engagement understanding of 6th June sincerely.  Neither side would take any action to escalate matters and instead, ensure peace and tranquility as per bilateral agreements and protocols," he said.

The two sides are in regular touch through their respective embassies and foreign offices. 

At the ground level the two sides have maintained communication at the commanders' level.  Meetings of other established diplomatic mechanisms such as Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs (WMCC) are under discussion, the MEA informed.

"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 Hon’ble PM stated yesterday, we are also strongly committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," Shrivastava stated in a strongly worded response.

Meanwhile, the Army officials on Thursday said all the Indian soldiers who were involved in a deadly clash with the Chinese military at Galwan Valley on Jun 15 night have now been accounted for.

The clarification came amid the reports claiming several Indian soldiers are still in the custody of the Chinese Army.

According to media reports, the usual rules of war between civilised states were given the go by, as PLA forces behaved exactly the way Pakistan army does—treacherously and barbarously.The Daily Guardian reported that Indian troops were taken by “surprise”  and the Chinese PLA soldiers used bulldozers kept for road construction excavation work, to knock out a hill on which Indian men were standing, with the intention to inflict massive casualties on the Indian soldiers.

More than four decades after the last fatality occurred during a conflict at the India-China border, at least 20 Indian personnel were killed in the conflict with the Chinese military at the Galwan Valley, which is close to Aksai Chin, an area that is controlled by China but claimed by both the countries.