Indian Army

This clash took place on the night of June 15, 2020. This incident took place when the situation was normalising after talks between the two countries near the Galwan Valley at night. The Indian Army had then issued a statement on this incident. The army had said that there was a violent clash in the Galwan Valley area on the night of June 15 and 20 soldiers were martyred.

Over a hundred of them, seized from PLA soldiers between December 8 and 9, now adorn a room in the Tawang Sector of Arunachal Pradesh. These clubs are also designed to emit bright flashes during a clash in the night to temporarily disorient the opponent. Fortunately, Indian soldiers at Yangste knew better. They didn't allow the skirmish to carry on for long and beat back the adversary well before dark.

China was not active just from October only but they were creating an infrastructure alongside the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh since 2020. China built an airbases too at their side, near the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh, the source said. According to the sources, the building up of Chinese infrastructure, started just before the Communist Party of China commenced its 20th Congress.

"It is already extremely cold there. Within the next couple of weeks, all areas close to the LAC will be under several feet of snow. On the Indian side, final preparations are being made to stock our forward positions with adequate supplies. There is a lot of troop movement as well. The PLA is certainly interested to learn more about our preparations for the winter, hence the decision to set up the OP," the army officer said.

On the clash, sources said that as many as 300 Chinese troops had arrived near the LAC on December 9 to gain control over the peak of a 17,000-feet-high mountain under a well-planned conspiracy, but the Indian troops foiled their attempt, the source said. Meanwhile, China's first statement on the clash has come, with its Foreign Ministry said that the situation on its border with India is "stable".

It is the first physical clash between the two armies since August 2020 in eastern Ladakh. There was another incident in October 2021 at Yangtse, 35 km northeast of Tawang, where the Chinese attempt to get access to the top of 17,000 feet peak was thwarted and the area is now under snow and will remain so till March.

Addressing a press conference on the eve of Navy Day (December 4), Admiral Kumar said: "The government has given us clear guidelines on Aatmanirbhar Bharat. We have given assurance that the Indian Navy will become Aatmanirbhar by 2047." On maritime security, he said the Navy is keeping a strong vigil on the movements of Chinese vessels in the Indian Ocean Region.

The Defence sources said, "An unidentified terrorist was killed by the Army's 3/9 GR during an infiltration bid in Tangdhar sector of the LoC in Kupwara district today." Sources said the operation was still going on in the area.Further details were awaited.

Sixty years ago, during the 1962 Sino-India war, the Indian Army gave a befitting reply to the Chinese in the Battle of Walong. The bravehearts of the Indian Army halted the advancing PLA soldiers for 27 days which forced them to sidestep its reserve division from Tawang Sector to Walong. Outnumbered by the enemy, with little ammunition and no resources.

The Army chief made the remarks while addressing the 'Chanakya Dialogues', organised by Delhi-based think-tank Chanakya Forum, at India International Centre here. As far as PLA's force levels are concerned, there has been no significant reduction, he said referring to the situation along Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The Army chief also said that the situation along the LAC is "stable but unpredictable".