Indian soldiers who died in close combat with Chinese troops last month were unarmed and surrounded by a larger force on a steep ridge, Indian government sources, two soldiers deployed in the area and families of the fallen men said.
FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators shout slogans as they burn an effigy depicting Chinese President Xi Jinping during a protest against China, in Kolkata, India, June 18, 2020. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri/File Photo
No shots were fired, but it was the biggest loss of life in combat between the nuclear-armed neighbours since 1967, when the simmering border dispute flared into deadly battles. The soldiers cannot be named because of military rules and all the families asked for anonymity because they said they were not supposed to speak about military matters.In response to a Reuters query, a China foreign ministry spokesperson repeated previous statements blaming the Indian side for crossing the de facto border and provoking the Chinese.
China has dismissed an Indian government minister’s claim that China had lost 40 soldiers from the PLA’s western theatre command deployed in Galwan. But instead they came under attack by Chinese soldiers using iron rods and wooden clubs with nails studded in them on a narrow ledge barely four metres wide overlooking the Galwan river.In recent weeks the world’s two most populous countries have mobilised more forces along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control , and the renewed hostilities have triggered a diplomatic and commercial spat that threatens to escalate, experts including former Indian military officers say.
They were confronted by a small group of Chinese soldiers and an argument ensued over the tents and a small observation tower the relative said, on the basis of conversations with two other soldiers who were present.
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