Galwan face-off: Outnumbered by Chinese, Indian soldiers fought in dark

Recent reports on the bloody face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley on Monday (June 15) say that Indian soldiers were outnumbered by Chinese before reinforcements were called in.

Twenty Indian soldiers including a Colonel-ranking commander died in the clashes near the Galwan river in eastern Ladakh.

A report in the Hindustan Times says the clash erupted at around 7 pm on Monday night when an Army squad of 50 soldiers led by Colonel Santosh Babu reached the disputed site near Patrol Point 14.

While the Chinese soldiers as per a military understanding reached between senior commanders of both countries on June 6, were supposed to have withdrawn from the post, they had not pulled back or removed their tent and observation post, an officer familiar with the incident told HT.

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Babu, who belonged to the 16 Bihar Regiment, reportedly tried to hold a discussion with the Chinese side who relented. The Chinese escalated the situation by resorting to throwing stones, when the Indian soldiers started dismantling their camp, leading to a scuffle.

Both sides, as per protocols of frontline troops were unarmed.

While the Indian side had just 50 soldiers, the Chinese had at least 250 soldiers in the area.

The soldiers used hand-to-hand combat in a seven-hour fight that also needed reinforcements from both sides.

Reports say the Chinese also used wooden sticks with nails, iron rods and rocks wrapped with barbed wire to attack their Indian counterparts.

The fight which began at Patrol point 14 spread to a nearby ridge overlooking Galwan river.

The clash took place in pitch dark and in sub-zero temperatures at least at a height of 15,000 feet. Many soldiers from both the sides slipped off the ridge into the river during the face-off.

While Indian troops took commanding officer Babu and a havildar who were grievously injured back, a few injured soldiers were taken captive by the Chinese.

The Indian unit returned under the commandership of a Major after 40 minutes and launched an assault against the Chinese, injuring 55 to 56 of their soldiers, said the report in India Today.

The fight continued till late in the night and stopped after midnight. Many bodies were recovered from the Galwan river while many of the injured succumbed in the morning.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar pointed out the sequence of events during his talk with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Wednesday (June 17).

Related news: Army personnel killed in Galwan laid to rest with full military honours

He stressed the need to implement the understanding reached by both sides on June 6 as part of de-escalation talks. According to de-escalation plans, it was decided that the Chinese side will fall back to around 5 km east of the location. However, they retreated a bit, only to retake the positions later, the HT report said, quoting another officer.

“The Chinese were, however, adamant on holding their ground. They seemed prepared for a face-off,” he said.

The face-off reportedly involved more than 500 soldiers from both sides.