The violent clashes with Chinese soldiers at Galwan valley in Ladakh has prompted the Indian Army to rethink its rules of engagement along the sensitive Line of Actual Control (LAC), people with direct knowledge of the matter told NDTV.
Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in a "violent face-off" with Chinese troops in Ladakh after they tried to "unilaterally change the status quo there", the Army said in a statement on Tuesday. A Colonel and two jawans were among the soldiers killed in the face-off at Galwan Valley in Ladakh -- the most serious escalation between the two countries along the border in five decades.
After the latest clash on Monday night - the deadliest along the LAC in decades - the Army is looking to revise its protocols on allowing Indian troops to effectively tackle Chinese forces. A decision on this is yet to be taken by the Army leadership, sources said.
In the violent clash at Galwan valley, both sides were armed with batons and sticks with nails. Reserves were called in by both sides on several occasions, say army sources. Several soldiers fell into the Galwan river during the fight. Extreme cold and hypothermia worsened the situation.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on Tuesday the clash arose from "an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo" on the border.
The United States, which has mounting frictions with China, but sees India as an emerging ally, said it was hoping for a "peaceful resolution", and that it was monitoring the situation closely.
