Corps Commander to raise Galwan violence with China & seek status quo in Pangong, other areas

The meeting between Lt Gen. Harinder Singh and his Chinese counterpart began Monday morning at Chushul-Moldo meeting point on the Chinese side of the LAC.

File image of Indian soldiers in Ladakh | Representational image | By special arrangement

New Delhi: Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, the 14 Corps Commander, will Monday raise the issue of the brutal violence by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) last week in Galwan Valley, Ladakh, and also seek restoration of status quo in Pangong Lake, the Hot Spring area, among others, where the Chinese have intruded.

The meeting between Lt Gen. Singh and his Chinese counterpart Major Gen. Lin Liu, the commander of the South Xinjiang Military District, began at 11.30 am at Chushul-Moldo meeting point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Sources in the know said Lt Gen Singh will raise the issue of the “premeditated and planned action” that led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and injuries to several others.

China has still not confirmed the casualties on their side, but sources said “a number” of PLA soldiers suffered fatal casualties and injuries in the attack.

While the incident happened on Indian territory, the Chinese have gone back into their territory in the Galwan Valley.

This is the second meeting at the Corps Commander-level since the tensions broke out in early May.

Restoration of status quo ante

Sources said another issue that will be discussed is the restoration of status quo ante in areas, which have witnessed transgressions by the Chinese, especially along Pangong Lake where the Chinese have come to Finger 4 from their base in Srijap.

For India, the LAC is at the Finger 8 after the 1962 war when the Chinese captured Srijap that was earlier controlled by India. The restoration of the status quo as of early April is the only way to reduce tensions.

As reported by ThePrint, the government has changed the rules of engagement at the LAC and the new rules do not bind the security personnel from using force, including firearms in exceptional situations, to counter the Chinese aggression and transgressions.

India has moved in over two division strength-level additional men and equipment into eastern Ladakh, which includes artillery and mechanised columns.

The Indian Air Force has also brought in Apache attack helicopters, Chinook heavy-lift choppers, besides increasing Combat Air Patrol.

While the Navy has moved additional warships into the Indian Ocean as a precautionary measure, sources said the Navy’s long-range surveillance aircraft, P8I, has also been deployed to carry out recce in the region.