Colonel Santosh Babu, Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar regiment, loses life in India-China faceoff
Colonel Santosh Babu was among those who lost his life during violent clashes with Chinese troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley in the Eastern Ladakh region. Along with him, two jawans were also martyred in the deadly clash.
Colonel Santosh was the Commanding Officer of the 16 Bihar regiment. He died during the face off with Chinese soldiers in Galwan valley area near Patrolling Point 14.
The Army said India lost an officer and two soldiers during the violent face-off, while there were casualties on the Chinese side as well. The number of casualties on the Chinese side is not yet clear.
Colonel Santosh Babu, Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar regiment, loses life in India-China faceoff
According to a senior military officer, it is the first incident involving the casualty of an Indian soldier in a violent clash with the Chinese Army after 1975 when four Indian soldiers were killed in an ambush at Tulung La in Arunachal Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about last night's clash as well on the overall situation in eastern Ladakh after he held a high-level meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs.