Army changes LAC combat rules after China clash: Key points in pictures

After an incident of the violent face-off with China in Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army has changed its rules of engagement on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which would allow field commanders to order troops to use firearms under "extraordinary" circumstances.

The sources said the armed forces have been given full freedom to deal with any act of aggression by China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto border between the two countries. At the all-party meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said the armed forces had been given a free hand to take all necessary steps.

In another development, sources said the defence ministry has extended the financial powers given to three vice service chiefs to purchase ammunition and weapons up to Rs 500 crore per acquisition. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday asked India’s top military brass to be “fully prepared” to take any unprecedented action at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China.

The sources said Rajnath Singh told the top military brass to maintain a strict vigil on Chinese activities around land border, airspace and in strategic sea lanes, and asked them to adopt a "tough" approach in dealing with any misadventure by Chinese forces.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has already moved a sizeable number of its frontline Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar, Mirage 2000 aircraft and Apache attack helicopters to several key air bases including Leh and Srinagar in the last five days. Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria on Saturday said the IAF is "well prepared" and "suitably deployed" to counter any security challenge along the border with China and even hinted that his force has flown combat air patrols in the Ladakh region as part of heightened preparedness.

Twenty Indian Army personnel were killed in violent clashes with the Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on June 15.