News Analysis India

Tag: Galwan Valley Clashes

  • Galwan hero’s wife becomes Army officer; posted to eastern Ladakh

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Rekha Singh, wife of Naik Deepak Singh who was killed in the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020, has been commissioned into the Indian Army as a Lieutenant, officials said on Saturday.

    She has been posted to a frontline base along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, they said Lt  Singh on Saturday completed her one-year training at the Chennai-based Officers Training Academy (OTA).

    Naik Singh was from the 16th Battalion of Bihar Regiment and he was posthumously awarded Vir Chakra in 2021.

    “Woman Cadet Rekha Singh, wife of Late Naik(Nursing Assistant) Deepak Singh, #VirChakra(Posthumous) got commissioned into #IndianArmy after completing her training from #OTA  #Chennai,” the Army tweeted.

    #Proud #VeerNariWoman Cadet Rekha Singh, wife of Late Naik(Nursing Assistant) Deepak Singh, #VirChakra(Posthumous) got commissioned into #IndianArmy after completing her training from #OTA #Chennai. Nk Deepak made the supreme sacrifice during the #Galwan Clashes. pic.twitter.com/zzI3tCnBZj
    — ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2023
    It said Deepak Singh made the supreme sacrifice during the Galwan Valley clashes.

    NEW DELHI: Rekha Singh, wife of Naik Deepak Singh who was killed in the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020, has been commissioned into the Indian Army as a Lieutenant, officials said on Saturday.

    She has been posted to a frontline base along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, they said Lt  Singh on Saturday completed her one-year training at the Chennai-based Officers Training Academy (OTA).

    Naik Singh was from the 16th Battalion of Bihar Regiment and he was posthumously awarded Vir Chakra in 2021.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “Woman Cadet Rekha Singh, wife of Late Naik(Nursing Assistant) Deepak Singh, #VirChakra(Posthumous) got commissioned into #IndianArmy after completing her training from #OTA  #Chennai,” the Army tweeted.

    #Proud #VeerNari
    Woman Cadet Rekha Singh, wife of Late Naik(Nursing Assistant) Deepak Singh, #VirChakra(Posthumous) got commissioned into #IndianArmy after completing her training from #OTA #Chennai. Nk Deepak made the supreme sacrifice during the #Galwan Clashes. pic.twitter.com/zzI3tCnBZj
    — ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2023
    It said Deepak Singh made the supreme sacrifice during the Galwan Valley clashes.

  • China’s ‘provocative behaviour’ disturbed peace in eastern Ladakh: India; rejects fresh Chinese comments on Galwan

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI/BEIJING: India on Friday strongly rejected China’s fresh comments blaming it for the Galwan valley clashes and asserted that the “provocative behaviour and unilateral” attempts by the Chinese side to alter the status quo in eastern Ladakh resulted in serious disturbance of peace and tranquillity in the mountainous region.

    Reacting to the Chinese remarks made earlier in the day, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi also said Chinese actions have impacted bilateral relations.

    A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson had again claimed at a media briefing in Beijing that the Galwan valley clashes took place because India “encroached upon China’s territory” and violated all agreements.

    “We reject such statements. Our position with regard to developments last year along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh has been clear and consistent,” Bagchi said in response to a question on the fresh remarks by China.

    “It was the provocative behaviour and unilateral attempts of the Chinese side to alter status quo in contravention of all our bilateral agreements that resulted in serious disturbance of peace and tranquillity. This has also impacted the bilateral relations,” he said.

    ALSO READ: Peace in border areas important, but it is not the ‘whole story’ of bilateral ties: Chinese envoy amid Ladakh standoff

    Twenty Indian Army personnel laid down their lives in deadly clashes with the Chinese troops in Galwan Valley on June 15 last year that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

    In February, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes with the Indian Army though it is widely believed that the death toll was higher.

    “As emphasized by the external affairs minister in his meeting with Chinese foreign minister earlier this month, it is our expectation that the Chinese side will work towards early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols,” Bagchi said.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi had met in Dushanbe on the sidelines of the SCO summit last week.

    ALSO READ: Rahul Gandhi targets PM Narendra Modi over eastern Ladakh standoff

    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that all the agreements and treaties signed between China and India on upholding the peace and stability in the area of the LAC have played an important role in upholding stability in the border areas.

    “Last year’s Galwan valley incident took place because India violated all the signed agreements and treaties and encroached upon Chinese territory and illegally crossed the line,” Zhao claimed.

    “We hope India will abide by all the signed agreements and uphold peace and stability in the border region with concrete actions,” Zhao said in reply to a question on India’s border patrol protocols.

    At the meeting with Wang on September 16, Jaishankar conveyed that the two sides should work for an early resolution of the remaining issues.

    According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two foreign ministers agreed that the military and diplomatic officials of both sides should meet again and discuss resolving the remaining issues at the earliest.

    The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies erupted on May 5 last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

    As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in Gogra area in eastern Ladakh last month.

    In February, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in line with an agreement on disengagement.

    Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector.

  • Courage shown by soldiers in Galwan Valley beyond words of appreciation: Panel

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The valour and courage shown by Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley incident in eastern Ladakh in June last year is “beyond words of appreciation”, a parliamentary standing committee said in a report on Tuesday.

    The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence overwhelmingly expressed its gratitude towards each and every soldier and officer “martyred” or injured in the incident and also to their families, it said in the report tabled in the Lok Sabha.

    “Indian Army is undoubtedly dedicated to preserve national interests, safeguard sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of the nation. In present testing times on both sides of the border, the Army has shown great valour in facing and thwarting the challenges,” the committee said.

    Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in a fierce hand-to-hand combat with Chinese troops on June 15 last year in Galwan Valley, an incident that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

    Last month, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clash with the Indian Army.

    “The committee would unanimously like to place on record that the valour and courage shown by our soldiers in the incidence of Galwan Valley in June, 2020 is beyond words of appreciation,” the committee said.

    The panel, headed by Union minister Jual Oram, also mentioned the Army’s ongoing task at hand to “fight proxy wars”, defeat internal threats, assist the government and the people of the country during natural calamities.

    “The committee opine that a sustained and adequate budgetary support is quintessential for meeting requirements of the Army,” it said.

    The 31-member committee has Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as one of its members.

    Referring to the allocation of financial resources to the Army, the committee recommended adequate measures for the streamlining of the procurement and budgetary procedures to mitigate the gap between the projected and allocated funds.

    “The capital budget cardinally provides for expenditure on modernisation, enhancement of force level, infrastructure development etc. Under capital head, in budget estimate for 2021-22, Army’s projection was Rs 51,492. 10 crore and allocation to be made is Rs 36,531.90 crore,” it said.

    “There is evident deduction of Rs 14,960. 20 crore in allocation vis-a-vis demand. The committee views that a gap to the tune of 30 per cent is huge and merits attention,” it added.

    The panel said it was informed that a proposal for a reduction in non-essential manpower is under consideration and that the relevance of certain divisions such as the infantry, mountain and armed divisions has eroded with time.

    It said the new concept will have Integrated Battle Groups while logistics support will mostly be outsourced as modern-day infrastructure development and outsourcing facilities have expanded up to the border and forward areas.

    “Manpower requirements will see a transition from conventional to new-age technological warfare requirements, which include space, cyber and Artificial Intelligence specialisations,” it noted.

    “The committee ratifies the perception of manpower optimisation and imbibing technological advancements. Simultaneously, they observe that the secrecy of Army’s mission and strategic operations shall not be jeopardised by outsourcing activities in border or forward areas,” it said.

    The committee said it approved and recommended the use of technologies for surveillance and reconnaissance purpose as latest surveillance tools and software prove to be decisive in gathering intelligence against enemies.

    “Nevertheless, boots on ground is inherently important from the point of view of taking quick and responsive measures from time to time as the need be. Technologies shall be imbibed to assist human resources in carrying out responsibilities to the best,” it said.

    The committee also mentioned the Army’s efforts to reduce its force size, especially the “tooth-to-tail ratio”, adding that nothing concrete has come out till date.

    “The committee feel that after integration of the available resources of three forces, the tail part of the Army can be substantially reduced,” it said.

    The ‘tooth-to-tail’ ratio refers to the amount of supply and support personnel (termed as tail) for each combat soldier (tooth).