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Indian Army erects memorial in Ladakh for ‘Gallants of Galwan’

Representational photo: This June 18, 2020, satellite image released by Planet Labs, shows the reported site of a fatal clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan River Valley in the Ladakh region near the Line of Actual Control.   | Photo Credit: AP

The Indian Army has built a memorial in Eastern Ladakh for the 20 personnel killed in the violent clash at Galwan Valley on June 15, a defence source said on Saturday.

Also read | No war, no peace status along border: IAF chief

The memorial which has the names of all 20 “Gallants of Galwan” inscribed on it is located at Post 120 in Eastern Ladakh and was inaugurated earlier this week. It details the actions of 16 Bihar and attached troops led by Col. B Santhosh Babu to evict the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Observation Post (OP) from the Y nala (junction) area under Operation Snow Leopard. They successfully evicted the PLA OP from Y nala and reached Patrolling Point 14 where a “fierce skirmish” broke out between the Indian Army and PLA troops, the inscription reads.

“Col. B Santhosh Babu led from the front and his troops fought gallantly in a hand to hand combat, causing heavy casualties to the PLA,” it states.

Post 120 lies along the Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) road. China has so far not revealed the casualty numbers on its side. A senior government official recently said China, through diplomatic channels, has acknowledged five of its soldiers were killed including a Commanding Officer.

The standoff along the disputed boundary in Ladakh has been ongoing since early May. Several rounds of diplomatic and military talks have failed to reaching an agreement on disengagement and de-escalation.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Printable version | Oct 3, 2020 10:02:33 PM | https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indian-army-builds-memorial-in-ladakh-for-soldiers-killed-in-galwan-valley-clash/article32759531.ece

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