Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday assured the nation that the sacrifice of 20 Indian Army soldiers, who died during a violent clash with Chinese soldiers at Galwan Valley in Ladakh, will not go in vain.
“I would like to assure the nation that the sacrifice of our jawans will not be in vain. India wants peace but it is capable to give a befitting reply if instigated,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi's message came during a virtual meeting with chief ministers of 15 states and union territories and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. They also observed a two-minute silence as a tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives during the Galwan Valley clash.
Meanwhile, the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remains tense. Satellite images taken less than 24 hours after the clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 at the Galwan River Valley region show that despite being massively outnumbered, the Indian side is still holding its ground in the area.
The high-resolution images taken on June 16 also show a massive continuing build-up by the Chinese side despite de-escalation agreement during the Lt Gen-level talks on June 6.
Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a Colonel, were killed in the clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley on Monday night, the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff between the two countries.
A large number of Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation in Galwan Valley and certain other areas of eastern Ladakh for the last five weeks, including in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh.
Monday's face-off was the biggest confrontation between the two militaries after their 1967 clashes in Nathu La when India lost around 80 soldiers while over 300 Chinese army personnel were killed in the face-off.
The Indian Army has been fiercely objecting to the transgressions, and demanded their immediate withdrawal for restoration of peace and tranquillity in the area. Both sides held a series of talks in the last few days to resolve the row.
The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India contests it.
(With inputs from PTI)