India-China clash: Conflict reportedly killed 20 people
Friday, July 19, 2020
UPDATimes - The battle that took place in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, an area still in dispute between the two countries, resulted in at least 20 Indian soldiers being killed.
China has yet to admit any fatalities on its part, but reports that cannot be confirmed by media in India say at least 40 Chinese soldiers were killed in the fighting.
Soldiers from two camps reportedly fought with iron batons and clubs, without firearms. Each party blames each other related to the trigger of the clash.
A photo of the weapon used in the clash was scattered on Thursday (6/18). The photo shows an iron rod filled with sharp nails around it.
The UPDATimes obtained the photo from a senior Indian military officer on the India-China border, who said the weapon was used by Chinese troops.
So, what triggered this violence and why did the soldiers not fight with firearms?
Images of weapons used in fighting Chinese and Indian troops at the country's borders were received by the BBC from an Indian military official.
Iron bars filled with sharp nails. This is a weapon said to have been used in Chinese and Indian army clashes on the border which are still in dispute status on Monday (6/15).
What happened?
The media reported the clash that occurred Monday (15/06) yesterday on a mountain with an altitude of more than 4,200 meters, where air temperatures reached below zero degrees celsius.
A number of soldiers who fought are thought to have fallen into the river that flowed down below.
The Galwan Valley border area
However, it is unclear how many soldiers were involved in the battle on the mountain. A senior Indian military official told the UPDATimes that at that time there were 55 Indian troops against 300 Chinese troops, but the numbers could not yet be verified.
"They hit our soldiers in the head with iron clubs which were covered in barbed wire. Our soldiers fought barehanded," said the official who declined to be named, and described the Chinese army as "Death Squads".
On Tuesday night, the Indian side confirmed that 17 people who were killed "suffered serious injuries in locations that were difficult to reach, and were exacerbated by cold temperatures on high ground"
They are thought to have died from injuries, and unable to withstand cold temperatures.
Initial reports said that Indian troops had disappeared, but officials said all those involved in the clashes had been held accountable.
Who started it?
Indian and Chinese troops in the border region.
Each party blames each other.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Inda had entered the border twice, "provoking and attacking members of the Chinese army, resulting in more serious clashes between border guard forces on both sides," AFP news agency reported.
However, India says the Chinese army is trying to erect a building in the Indian border region that is de facto recognized by the Actual Control Line (LAC).
In a statement by telephone, between the foreign ministers of each country, India accused Chinese troops of "preplanned actions and was directly responsible for the clashes and casualties" and urged China to "take corrective steps"
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said: "China has again lodged a strong protest with India and asked India to conduct a thorough investigation ... and stop any provocation to ensure that this incident does not recur."
China on Wednesday (17/06) yesterday claimed "sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region" - a claim denied by India as "excessive and untenable"
Why without firearms?
A number of Indian military trucks moved into the Ladakh region on Wednesday after clashes with Chinese troops in the area.
Since the 1950s, China has refused to recognize the borders of the two countries set during the British occupation of India. In 1962, this feud sparked a brief war that made India must endure humiliating defeat.
The last use of firearms in the Galwan Valley occurred in 1975, when four Indian soldiers were killed in a remote border area in the State of Arunachal Pradesh.
The event was told in various versions by a number of former diplomats. Some call it a surprise attack, some say it was an accident.
However, since then, no bullets have been fired.
In 1996, the two camps made a bilateral agreement stating "no party may fire ... carry out explosive operations, or hunt using weapons or explosives within a radius of two kilometers on the Actual Control Line (LAC)".
Because firearms should not be used, other methods were used when the two sides fought.
In May, a number of Indian and Chinese soldiers battled on Lake Pangong, which is also located in Ladakh, and in the State of Sikkim.
India says China has occupied 38,000 square kilometers of the territory and accuses China of triggering tensions by sending thousands of troops into the Galwan Valley region in Ladaksh.
China also reports that India is also building roads and infrastructure in the region.
"The Galwan region has now become a hotspot, because this is where the LAC is adjacent to the new road built by India along the most remote and vulnerable areas of the LAC in Ladakh," Ajai Shukla, Indian military expert with the rank of colonel told the BBC, in May last .
Reaction
Images of modified iron weapons have spread widely through Twitter's social media in India, which has angered many social media users.
Neither the Chinese nor Indian governments commented on this matter.
Shukla, the person who first uploaded this picture on Twitter, described the users of this weapon as "barbarians".
Some publics in both countries staged protests following clashes in the Himalayan disputed territory, while officials have spoken very carefully, and are moving towards diplomacy.
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