No Indian Army personnel missing during face-off with Chinese troops in Ladakh: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday clarified that no Indian Army personnel were missing in action following the violent face-off with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley of Ladakh.

“This has been clarified by the Army today afternoon that there are no Indian troops missing in action,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during a weekly briefing.

The New York Times had reported that a few Indian soldiers were missing in action after the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley. The Indian Army has also clarified that there are no Indian troops missing in action after the clash between Indian and Chinese troops.

“With reference to the article ‘In China – India Clash, Two Nationalist Leaders with Little Room to Give’ by New York Times dated June 17, 2020, it is clarified that there are no Indian troops missing in action,” Indian Army said in a statement.

Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a Colonel rank officer, had lost their lives in the clash.

The violent face-off happened as a result of an attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo during de-escalation in eastern Ladakh and the situation could have been avoided if the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side, India had said on Tuesday.

Srivastava said that the Chinese side departed from the consensus reached on June 6 during the core commanders of both sides. The two sides are in regular touch through their respective embassies and foreign officers. At the ground level, the two sides have maintained communications at the commanders level, he said.

“While we remain convinced of the need for maintenance of peace and tranquillity on border areas and resolution of differences through dialogue, at the same time as the Prime Minister said yesterday, we are strongly committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he further said.

Source: ANI