Leh, June 19: The Galwan Valley will always remain a part of India, the grandson of the Ladakhi explorer after whom the valley – the site of the violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops on Monday – was named, told NDTV.
The face-off at Galwan Valley – 20 soldiers including a Colonel were killed in the line of duty – is the worst in nearly five decades along the border with China. Though Beijing has given no official figure, army sources say at least 45 Chinese soldiers were killed or injured.

The government has said “making exaggerated and untenable claims” on areas along the Line of Actual Control or LAC is against the understanding that military commanders of India and China had reached during a meeting on June 6. The remarks followed a Chinese commander’s claim on Galwan valley that was read out at the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s briefing on Wednesday.

“The valley was named after my grandfather, Ghulam Rasool Galwan, after he helped a group of British explorers return safely after losing their way during an expedition,” said Mohammad Amin Galwan, whose family has lived in Ladakh for generations.

“My grandfather was born in 1878 in Leh and had started working as a guide for the British in Tibet, mountains of central Asia and especially the Karakoram Range, when he was 12 years old,” Mr Galwan said, narrating an event that led to the valley being named after his grandfather.

At the time, the British were worried about Russian expansion towards Tibet; Ghulam Rasool Galwan guided troops through the hostile terrain as they tried to gather intelligence about Russian intrusion, which could pose a threat to British interests in India.

His grandson said that during one such expedition with Lord Dunmore, hostile weather in the region led their caravan astray. “My grandfather went in search of a route and reached a river. He found a new route which helped the explorers escape death. So, Dunmore named the valley and the river after my grandfather,” Mohammad Amin Galwan said.

Galwan said China had tried to claim this land in 1962 as well. “This place was a part of India and will remain a part of India. Our soldiers fought them off then and they have done so again. We respect our soldiers and salute their sacrifice,” he said.

No Indian trooper missing: MEA

Tasaduq Hussain

Ladakh, June 18: All 76 Indian soldiers injured in the violent face-off with the Chinese troops in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley are stable and no one is critical now, the Indian Army said today.

Giving further details, the Army in an official statement to, KNO said that 18 soldiers are at its hospital in Leh and they will be able to join the duty in about two weeks. 58 are at other hospitals and can resume duty within a week.

“No one critical as of now. All stable. 18 soldiers at our hospital in Leh. Will be out on duty in about 15 days. 58 soldiers at other hospitals. Should be back on duty within a week. Status as of today afternoon,” the Army said in a statement.

The Army has also requested media to not hype the numbers. “As you can see, most soldiers will be back on duty within this week itself,” it said.

The Army’s clarification came after some exaggerated figures were doing rounds in some sections of media.

20 Indian soldiers including the commanding officer of 16 Bihar regiment were killed in the violent face-off at Galwan Valley with China’s PLA on the intervening night of June 15 and 16.

Earlier in the evening, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that no Indian troops are missing in the Monday night’s violent clashes in the area along LAC—(KNO)

New Delhi, June 18: In a response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s question over not carrying arms by Indian troops during the violent face-offs with China’s PLA, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that all troops on border duty always carry arms and on June 15 too they did so in Galwan Valley of Eastern Ladakh.

In a quote retweet of Gandhi, the minister said, “Let us get the facts straight. All troops on border duty always carry arms, especially when leaving post. Those at Galwan on 15 June did so. Long-standing practice (as per 1996 & 2005 agreements) not to use firearms during faceoffs.”

Gandhi had questioned in the morning, “How dare China kill our UNARMED soldiers? Why were our soldiers sent UNARMED to martyrdom?”
On Monday night, a violent clash between troops of India and China broke out in the Galwan Valley, wherein 20 Indian troops were killed by China’s PLA. The clash broke out when an Indian Army squad of about 50 soldiers led by Colonel Santosh Babu, reached a contested site near what is known as Patrol Point 14, to check whether they have disengaged or not.
The Chinese soldiers were supposed to have withdrawn from the location under a de-escalation plan discussed by senior commanders from both sides on June 6.
On Wednesday, the minister in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, conveyed India’s protest in “strongest terms” to Beijing over the violent face off and said that China had attempted to erect a structure on the Indian side of the LAC.
New Delhi also said that the Chinese side took “premeditated and planned” action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties.
A statement by the external affairs ministry following the conversation said that India had conveyed to China that the Galwan Valley development will have a “serious” impact on the bilateral relationship. It also added that the need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take “corrective” steps.

A strongly worded statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry – after the phone conversation – said New Delhi “should strictly control frontline troops”.

New Delhi, June 19: High resolution satellite images procured by NDTV indicate Chinese efforts to block or disturb the flow of the Galwan river in Northeast Ladakh, less than a kilometer from the site of the deadly clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 in which 20 Indian officers and men were killed.

The details emerged as an Indian Major General and his Chinese counterpart met for the second consecutive day near Patrol Point 14 in the Galwan Valley, where the clash took place. The talks on Wednesday were inconclusive with the Chinese side showing no sides of disengaging from the area.

Indian soldiers were assaulted with iron rods, nail-studded clubs and rocks wrapped in barbed wire in the fight near Patrol Point 14, a vantage point in Indian territory that overlooks Chinese positions on their side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) or the de-facto border between India and China. There were a significant number of casualties on the Chinese side. Though Beijing has given no official figure, army sources say at least 45 Chinese soldiers were killed or injured.

The images acquired by NDTV clearly show Chinese bulldozers in operation on their side of the LAC. The flow of the river perceptibly changes at the spot where the bulldozers are seen – from flowing blue waters to a small, muddy stream which becomes imperceptible when it crosses over to the Indian side of the LAC a short distance away.

Chinese bulldozers and earth moving equipment are visible in the location shown above between the LAC and the Chinese motorcade.  Indian Army trucks deployed in the Galwan Valley within two kilometres of the LAC can be seen parked in a mostly dry Galwan river bed.

It is believed that Chinese soldiers from these positions surged to the Line of Control on the evening of June 15 where both sides fought pitched battles. Reports suggest that some Indian soldiers were thrown off the cliffs in the area and either fell to their death or were exposed to the extreme cold weather. Reports have also suggested that some soldiers fell into the waters of the Galwan, though, as the images indicate, the river was barely flowing as it crosses the Line of Actual Control. The Indian Army could evacuate its soldiers only during the day of June 16 with the clashes ending only by midnight of June 15-16.
Sources have told NDTV that hundreds of Chinese and Indian soldiers were involved in the clashes though there is no official account of the numbers. The clashes, in which an Indian Colonel was killed in action, are thought to be the most brutal clashes Indian and Chinese soldiers have ever been involved in.

Srinagar, June 18: Expressing concern over the unfortunate turn of events on Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, National Conference (NC) president and Member of Parliament from Srinagar Dr Farooq Abdullah on Thursday asked both India and China to show restraint and engage in military de-escalation through dialogue.

Asserting that ‘sober diplomatic channels’ should be employed to de-escalate brimming tensions on LAC, Dr Abdullah, who is the former chief minister, said expressed concern over the perilous clashes that resulted in the loss of many lives in a standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan area.

“War is no solution; it will only aggravate the predicaments of the people living in south East Asia. World is confronting the worst ever challenge in the face of COVID-19; rather than head locking themselves on border disagreements, both the countries should engage in a profitable dialogue and congregate their efforts to bring long lasting peace to the entire region. I would urge the media to act responsibly and refrain from adding tinder between the two huge and densely inhabited countries of the region. I am convinced that the governments of both the countries are aware of the possible repercussions of the fall out between them,” he said.

Dr Abdullah said that COVID-19 has exposed many lacunae in public health facilities and ‘it is time to invest in the future we want for the people of the world and the region’.

“The pandemic has also brought to light how closely connected the people of the world are, and how susceptible humanity as a whole is to different challenges ranging from diseases to environmental issues. COVID-19 crisis has upturned and continues to shake our lives but it has also revealed that nations are better in response to the challenges and issues confronting humanity when attended to collectively. I pray for lost lasting peace to the entire region. I also extend my sympathies to the families of Jawans who have lost their lives on LAC following a deadly face-off with Chinese troops,” he said.

New Delhi, June 18: Amid ongoing standoff between troops of India and China in Eastern Ladakh, India will participate in Russia-India-China (RIC) virtual meet on June 23.

In weekly briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, “Russia has called for a special session of the RIC meeting. EAM will participate in the meeting.”

The ministers are expected to discuss the current global pandemic situation, challenges of global security, etc: Mr Srivastava added.

Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in the clash with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on Monday night, the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff between the two countries.

On Wednesday Russia had announced a trilateral India-Russia-China Foreign Ministers’ meeting via video conference on June 23.

The RIC meeting will exchange views on the global, political and economic situation as well as the opportunities for cooperation to overcome the existing crises, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova at a press briefing on Wednesday.

“It is unacceptable to treat the current crises to obtain certain unilateral political benefits to the detriment of the security and long term interest of other countries,” she added.

Kudashev said the existence of RIC is an undisputable reality and “as for the current stage of the trilateral cooperation there are no indication that it might be frozen”.

Chairs high level security review meet, pays tributes to soldiers killed in Galwan Valley

Srinagar, June 18: Director General of Police (DGP) Jammu and Kashmir Dilbag Singh today said in the wake of Ladakh standoff there were reports that infiltration may increase as various militant outfits have joined hands across Line of Control to foment trouble in Kashmir.

DGP Singh stated this while chairing a high level security review meeting in Jammu region of J&K UT in which top police, army, BSF, CRPF and intelligence officers, who comprises UT’s security grid, were present. All the officers gave their feedback on prevailing situation in J&K in the back drop of recent violent face-off between India and China in Galwan Valley of Ladakh that saw killing of 20 soldiers including an army officer.

Officials said that at the outset of meeting, the participants paid tribute to slain soldiers who lost their lives in line of duty in Galwan Valley, Ladakh.

In his address, the officials said that the DGP Singh complimented the Police, Army and paramilitary forces for an outstanding performance and impressed that they must continue with the efforts to maintain peace and create further conducive environment.

“Our officers and policemen, paramilitary forces and the army is continuing with successful operations in counter insurgency grid and on borders. Cross LoC infiltration attempts are being made continuously from Pakistan even in times of pandemic and we have to be extra alert to thwart all such attempts,” the DGP said in the meeting.

He said that in view of the Ladakh standoff, Pakistan will try to push more militants into this side and also give impetus to violence in Kashmir and elsewhere.

“Border alongside the Pakistan needs extra attention in view of the Ladakh developments. He said that there are reports that militant outfits in Pakistan like Jaish, Hizb, Lashkar etc are joining hands to create mischiefs in our Union Territory. There are greater challenges for which we have to be prepared in the changed environment,” the DGP said and directed the officers to take care of the vital installations as also review minority guards.

He also said that the security presence on highway grid has been increased by putting in service mobile patrols and number of Nakas (checkpoints) have also been increased.

The J&K police chief also said that there is an urgent need to fill up the space in the social media as anti-national feelings can be whipped-up which “we need to guard against.”

A police spokesman said that during the meeting ceasefire violations and infiltration dynamics were discussed. There are a number of camps all across the borders in various sectors where militants are ready to infiltrate,” he said.

The spokesman said that in the meeting IG BSF Jammu N.S Jamwal gave a power-point presentation with regard to strengthening of border grid and briefed about the security plans being made on LoC and International Border—(KNO)

Abid Bashir

Srinagar, June 18: Top and middle-rung military commanders are busy in hectic deliberations over the “peace pact” framed by the armies of China and India as part of the fresh de-escalation process after a gap of two days of the killing of 20 Indian soldiers including an officer at Galwan Valley in the cold desert, top defence officials revealed today. They, however, said that the peace talks will continue on Friday as well as final consensus yet to be evolved.

“Indian army officials are busy in a very crucial meeting with their Chinese counterparts. Peace pact has been framed and deliberations are presently going on at Galwan Valley of Ladakh Union Territory,” a defence source in New Delhi, who is privy to the development, disclosed to KNO.
He said there are two documents, one each from Chinese army and Indian army that are being discussed at present. “We are for peace and not war, but that doesn’t mean we will not act if assaulted or attacked. If war is thrusted we are capable of dealing with the situation,” he said.
Reliable sources privy to the peace pact said that Indian army is strongly pressing for the vacation of Chinese army from Indian Territory that includes a vast portion at Point-4 and Galwan Valley. “There is a major demand that the territorial agreement between India and Chinese must be restored and there should be no violation of it. Indian army has documentary evidence and satellite images to prove Chinese intrusion in various areas including Galwan Valley,” they said.

The meeting started at 11:30 am and was on till late evening with prime focus on breaking the ice. Things turned ugly between the two sides on June 16 when Chinese army assaulted unarmed soldiers of 16 Bihar regiment of Indian army leaving three soldiers including a colonel rank officer dead on the spot while 17 other soldiers were left critically injured in sub-zero temperatures at Galwan Valley, who later succumbed to injuries.

A defence source said that there have been allegations and counter allegations from both sides but the fact of the matter is that video evidence, satellite images and documentary evidence have already proved Chinese intrusion in Indian Territory.

“The question is about territorial integrity and any violation to that amounts to challenging India’s sovereignty, which won’t be allowed. We hope things are sorted out amicably through parleys between the two sides,” he said.

Today’s deliberations are the part of Round-3 dialogue as first one turned out to be violent, second remained inconclusive and all eyes are on the ongoing peace talks.

Defence sources in Ladakh revealed that some points were agreed upon by the two sides and that final consensus wasn’t yet arrived at. “The meeting will continue tomorrow as well. Tomorrow it will start early morning and continue throughout the day,” he said—(KNO)

149 including 4 cops, doctor test positive, tally rises to 5555
Srinagar, June 18: The COVID-19 claimed three more lives including a 55-year-old woman from Shopian district of south Kashmir on Thursday, taking the overall toll due to the virus to 72 in Jammu and Kashmir.

“She was hypertensive and had also septicemia,” Medical Superintendent CD hospital, Dr Salim Tak, told said. A resident of Neldoora Shopian, the woman was admitted to the CD hospital, one of the exclusive facilities of the management of covid-19  on June 17. Earlier two deaths took place at SMHS hospital here.

Dr. Nazir Choudhary, Medical Superintendent SMHS hospital here told GNS that the octogenarian from Srinagar’s Nawa Bazar area was admitted on June 16 and died the next day. “He was having Hypertension and bilateral pneumonia besides other underlying ailments,” he said.

Regarding Shopian patient, he said, the 65-year-old was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday with “acute breathlessness.

A resident of Chakoora Shopian, the sexagenarian’s body is being brought to his hometown, Dr Ramesh Kumar, CMO Shopian said.

So far, 72 people have succumbed to the virus in J&K—nine from Jammu and 62 from the Valley.  Srinagar district with 17 deaths has the highest fatalities followed by Baramulla 12, Shopian (9), Kulgam (8)  six each in Anantnag and Jammu, Kupwara (five),  Budgam (three ), Pulwama (two) while one death each has been reported from Bandipora, Doda, Udhampur and Rajouri.

149 test positive in J&K

Four policemen, a doctor and a lab technician were among 149 fresh cases of covid-19 infection reported in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, taking the overall tally to 5555 in J&K.

Giving district wise break, official sources told GNS that  among the fresh cases 25 were reported from Budgam followed by Pulwama (21), Baramulla (20), Undhampur (16), Kathua (12), 11 each in Jammu and Srinagar , Shopian (10), Samba (7), Anantnag (4), three each in Kulgam and Bandipora, Kupwara (2) and one each in Ganderbal and Reasi.

Dr. G H Yatoo, Nodal Officer Coronavirus Control Measures at SKIMS told GNS that out of the total processed at the viral diagnostic lab today, 40 returned positive for the virus.

Professor Farooq Jan, Medical Superintendent SKIMS Soura, said that among them nine are from Shopian, eight from Pulwama, seven from Srinagar, four each from Anantnag and Baramulla, three from Bandipora, two from Kulgam and one each from Ganderbal, Budgam and Kupwara.

Dr Riyaz Untoo, Principal SKIMS Bemina, told GNS that out of 538 samples processed at the hospital’s lab, 24 tested positive for COVID-19, all from Budgam.

Regarding cases reported from SKIMS Soura hospital lab, they said, two were from Kulgam: a female (75) from Dumhal  and a Male ( 48) from Laktipora; four cases from Anantnag:  01 female (20) from Sandoo , 01 Male (35) from KP road Mattan , 01 female (40) from Pashward Batkkot  and 01 Male (20) from kathpopra.

Nine cases from Shopian include a female (40) from Arhama , Male (60) from Sedow , female (20) from Pargochi , female (30) from imamsahib , 02 Male (47, 23) from P.S Keegam Shopian, , Male (33) from DPL Shopian, 01 Male (22) from Ferripora Shopian  and 01 female (35) from Shopian

Eight cases from Pulwama include a Male (38) from Sadipora, 02 Males (45, 38) from Lassipora , female (36) from Bagh , Male (40) from PS Awantipora Pulwama, Male (27) from Beighpora Pulwama, Male (47) from DPL and Male (45) from Awantipora while one case from Budgam includes a female (26) Safapora Budgam. Three cases were reported from Bandipora: Male (32), female (32) from Rakhi Daslipora and Male (30) from Ward 5 Bandipora while one case from Ganderbal is female (31) from Nagbal Ganderbal

The cases Srinagar were from Srinagar  and include 02 female (32, 37), 01 male (35) from Mujgund,  02 Male (52, 52) from Nowshehra Srinagar and 01 Male (40) from Pandach while cases from Baramulla

Include Male (25) from Kachmitipora , Male (35) from Dhobiwan Baramulla, Male (25) from Nehalpora Baramulla and Male (80) from Sopore Baramulla.  (GNS)

Srinagar, June 18: The administration on Thursday ordered a probe after two persons fell unconscious and died during cremation of a person who had died to due to the covid-19 in the winter capital of the J&K.

“It has been brought to my notice that during the cremation of a body (on account of COVID related death), two persons accompanying it for last rites became unconscious and subsequently passed away in mysterious circumstances on June 18,” reads an order by deputy Commissioner Jammu.

“it is imperative to probe into the circumstances leading to the unfortunate death of the two persons by ordering a magisterial enquiry,” the order said further.

Subsequent, the deputy commissioner ordered that the Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order), Jammu, shall conduct a detailed inquiry to ascertain the circumstances leading to the deaths of two persons. “He shall ensure that a special Board of Doctors is constituted to conduct Autopsy of the referred dead-bodies. COVID test shall also be conducted of both the bodies as well.”

The ADM has been asked to submit his report by June 22. “Needless to say he shall take statements of all relevant public and private persons related to the incident. The report shall be furnished with conclusive findings of the special Board of Doctors constituted for such purpose.” (GNS)