Ladakh; 16 June 2020 (UMMN): At least 20 Indian troops have been killed by PLA on India-China LOC in a disputed Himalayan border area of Ladakh, Indian officials say. Indian army initially said three of its soldiers had been killed but later on Tuesday, officials said a number of critically injured soldiers had died of their wounds.
It added that "17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty" and died from their injuries, taking the "total that were killed in action to 20".
This is the first deadly clash in the border area in 45 years. The two countries have fought only one war so far, in 1962, when India suffered a humiliating defeat.
According to BBC, India's external affairs ministry accused China of breaking an agreement struck the previous week to respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said India had crossed the border twice on Monday, "provoking and attacking Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical confrontation between border forces on the two sides", AFP news agency reported.
Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed land. India, China and Pakistan claim it in either full or parts.
Jammu and Kashmir joined India through an Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947, which provided it a special status with its own statute and flag. Following accession, a dispute erupted between Pakistan and India. India took this matter to the UN Security Council, which passed resolution 39 (1948) and established the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP), asked Government of India to reduce its forces to minimum strength, and established the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to monitor the cease-fire line, and mandated a plebiscite.
Part of Jammu and Kashmir known as Aksai Chin was invaded and occupied by China in a war in 1962.
India has built a new road in what experts say is the most remote and vulnerable area along the LAC in Ladakh. And India's decision to ramp up infrastructure seems to have infuriated Beijing. The road could boost Delhi's capability to move men and materiel rapidly in case of a conflict, BBC reported.
In May, dozens of Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanged physical blows on the border in the north-eastern state of Sikkim, and both sides blame each other.
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says violence between two armies high up in the Himalayas is very serious, and pressure will grow on the two nuclear powers not to allow a slide into full-scale conflict.
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