Defence Minister's Ladakh visit with CDS & COAS to review LAC situation to be rescheduled

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Leh on July 3 to review the situation in Eastern Ladakh has been rescheduled for a later date and the revised date will be announced soon. The Defence Minister was scheduled to visit Leh along with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Naravane to review the situation in view of the Chinese aggression along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). 

This would have been the Defence Minister's first visit to Ladakh since the faceoff with China commenced, which has been postponed. However, Army chief General Naravane has visited Ladakh for two days in the previous week to take stock of the on-ground situation. He even interacted with the soldiers injured in the LAC violent faceoff at the Military Hospital in Leh and honoured them. 

Rajnath Singh had travelled to Russia a week earlier to participate in the Victory Day parade to mark 75 years of the allied victory in the second world war.

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Indo-China Galwan clash

Even as both the armies are on alert while deploying their forces along the LAC, third military-level talks were held between the military commanders of the two armies on June 30 at Moldo to discuss issues pertaining to the disengagement process between the two armies. As per the sources, the talks were held in a business-like manner in view of COVID-19 protocols. Sources added that both sides stressed that the priority was on an expeditious, phased, and stepwise de-escalation. The third round of talks between the senior military commanders reflected the commitment of both sides to reduce the tensions along the LAC, sources added.

20 Indian Army soldiers including Colonel Santhosh Babu were martyred in the violent faceoff against Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Galwan valley in the Eastern Ladakh region. As per the US intelligence reports, 35 Chinese PLA personnel were killed during the faceoff whereas intercepts say over 40 casualties suffered by the hostile neighbour. Sources revealed that the Indian colonel was attacked by Chinese Army personnel with iron rods without any provocation leading to hand-to-hand combat between hundreds of personnel.

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