LIVE: 20 Indian soldiers killed on LAC; 43 Chinese casualties, reports ANI

Indian Army officer and two soldiers killed in Ladakh's Galwan Valley on Monday night during "violent face off" with Chinese: Army

5:56 PM

China lodges protest with India over violent face-off in Galwan Valley

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'Chinese side too suffered casualties in violent face-off in Galwan Valley'

The Chinese side have also suffered casualties during the face-off with Indian troops in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh on Monday night, according to Global Times Editor-in-Chief, ANI reported.

 

"Based on what I know, Chinese side also suffered casualties in the Galwan Valley physical clash," Hu Xijin, Editor-in-Chief of Chinese state-run media said in a tweet. Meanwhile, Major Generals of India and China are talking to defuse the situation in Ladakh's Galwan Valley and other areas after the violent face-off last night in which casualties have been suffered by both sides, Army sources said on Tuesday.

 

"I want to tell the Indian side, do not be arrogant and misread China's restraint as being weak. China does not want to have a clash with India, but we do not fear it," said Hu.

 

Earlier today, Indian Army amended its statement regarding the face-off that took place between Indian and Chinese troops leading to the death of three Army personnel, saying that "casualties suffered on both sides" in "violent face-off" during de-escalation process with China in Galwan Valley. According to the Indian Army, the face-off took place on Monday night.

 

"The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers," the Army said in a statement.

 

After 1975, this is the first violent incident on the India-China border in which casualties have taken place. Earlier while looking to resolve the dispute over Chinese military buildup, India and China were holding talks in Eastern Ladakh.

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LIVE: Rupee drops 17 paise to fresh 6-week low on border tension with China

The rupee dropped by 17 paise to close at a fresh six-week low of 76.20 against the US dollar on Tuesday amid escalation in border tension with China.

 

An Indian Army officer and two soldiers were killed during a violent confrontation with Chinese troops in the sensitive Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night, the Army said. Forex traders said besides the border tension with China, foreign fund outflows and concerns regarding rising Covid-19 cases also weighed on investor sentiment. The rupee opened the day on a strong note at 75.89 against the US dollar and touched a high of 75.77 later.

 

The local unit, however, pared its sharp gains after reports of violent clash with the Chinese Army. The rupee slid to a low of 76.26 before settling at 76.20 against the US dollar, down 17 paise over its previous close. It had settled at a more than six-week low of 76.03 against the greenback on Monday.

 

Equity benchmark Sensex rose by 376 points, led by gain in index heavyweights HDFC twins, ICICI Bank and Infosys amid strong cues from global equities. The NSE Nifty closed 100.30 points or 1.02 per cent. Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market as they sold shares worth Rs 2,960.33 crore on Monday, according to provisional exchange data.

5:15 PM

Congress Working Committee to discuss stand-off with China and Nepal on June 23

The Congress Working Committee is scheduled to meet on June 23 and will discuss the issue of stand-offs with China and Nepal. The meeting was decided upon after 3 Indian army personnel were killed by Chinese forces in Galwan Valley and Nepal adopted a resolution to print a new map which has Indian territory.

 

Sources in the party said that the incident at the LAC is unacceptable to the party and the relationship with Nepal is at an all time low. Congress Chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on the killing of Indian soldiers: "Shocking, Unbelievable & Unacceptable! Will the Raksha Mantri confirm?"

 

Three Indian Army personnel, including an officer, were killed on Monday night during a violent face-off with Chinese People's Liberation Army troops at Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh region.

 

India and China are engaged in a diplomatic resolution of the stand-off. But on Nepal, Congress leader Karan Singh slammed the government for mishandling India-Nepal ties over a resolution in Nepal's House of Representatives to adopt a new map claiming Indian territory.

5:09 PM

Sensex, Nifty shrug off India-China tensions, end higher on US Fed hopes

Indian shares shrugged off a momentary jolt from rising Indo-China border tensions to finish higher on Tuesday, as hopes of a fresh liquidity boost from the U.S. Federal Reserve lifted global risk sentiment. The NSE Nifty 50 index ended 1.02% higher at 9,314.00, while the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex closed up 1.13% at 33,605.22. The rupee ended at 76.21 against the dollar after earlier falling to 76.30, its lowest since April 28.

 

Both the stock indexes rallied more than 2% in early trade before reversing their course to fall over half a percent after the Indian army said one of its officers and two soldiers were killed in a "violent faceoff" on a contested border.

 

Global stocks rose after the US Federal Reserve said it would start purchasing a diversified range of investment grade U.S. corporate bonds on Tuesday, in a bid to secure companies' access to cash and ensure credit market liquidity amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Global liquidity, driven mainly by stimulus in the United States and Europe, has propelled buying from foreign institutional investors in Indian markets, analysts said. Japan's Nikkei jumped nearly 5%, while Asian equities saw its best day since late March.

 

"There was some volatility when news of China came out but those concerns were outweighed soon by the global optimism over the Fed move," said Siddhartha Khemka, head of retail research at Motilal Oswal Securities.

4:55 PM

Rajnath Singh briefs PM Modi about killing of three Indian Army men in Ladakh

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the prevailing situation in Eastern Ladakh where Indian Army faced multiple casualties during a violent face-off with the People's Liberation Army of China. The Chinese army too faced casualties though the exact figures are yet to be ascertained.

 

Singh met Modi after he held a meeting with External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, and the three service chiefs in the South Block here to review the current situation following the violent stand-off in the Galwan Valley amid the de-escalation operation. These are the first casualties faced by the Indian Army in clash with the People's Liberation Army since 1975, when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh.

 

Singh has asked the service chiefs to explain the current situation in the Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh and also what course of action should be taken from hereafter diplomatically.

4:48 PM

Tell the nation more on India-China stand-off: Former Defence Minister AK Antony PM to Modi

Former Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Tuesday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to tell the nation on the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh and said "there is more to it than India building a road".

 

"The Prime Minister and the Defence Minister should say more on what has happened as there is more to it than India building a road and China has other motives. There are limitations to what I can say more, as I am a former Defence Minister. Let them say it," remarked the senior Congress leader, who has been the longest-serving Defence Minister in the country.

 

"I am also eagerly waiting to hear what the Centre has to say. For the past few weeks, in certain sensitive areas in Ladakh, the Chinese forces have advanced and are stationed there now. The two countries should settle this amicably," Antony added.

 

Antony was the Defence Minister from 2006 to 2014 in the first and second UPA governments led by Manmohan Singh. Three casualties have been reported on the Indian side in a violent face-off with the Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh. The last clash with the People's Liberation Army was reported in 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh.

 

Former Indian diplomat T.P. Sreenivasan, who hails from the state capital, said one will have to wait and see what China is up to in the post-Covid times.

 

"This time, one can sense a feel of arrogance in the way China has behaved. It's said that no firing has taken place; if so, how come so many casualties? Will have to wait and see what they are up to as in the post-Covid times, USA is helpless and China may be using this as an opportunity to stamp their authority. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, they did it. Now, we have reported loss of lives; so let us wait and see," Sreenivasan said.

4:46 PM

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh for strong response to Chinese intrusions

Expressing anger over the violent clashes in Ladakh's Galwan Valley leading to loss of three soldiers, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, here on Tuesday, called for a strong response to the repeated violations of the Indian territory by China.

 

"Our soldiers are not fair game that every few days officers and men should be killed or injured defending borders," Singh said reacting to the development on border, which came even as the armies on the two sides were supposed to be in the process of disengagement from the past several days' stand-off. "It's time now for India to stand up to these incursions that are blatant violation of our territorial rights and put a stop to such attacks on our territorial integrity," said the Chief Minister. Every sign of weakness on the part of India would make the Chinese reaction more belligerent, he added.

 

While it was important to defuse the border tension and India was not in favour of war, Singh said the country couldn't afford to show weakness and needed to take a strong stand to deter the Chinese from any further intrusions and attacks on its territories and men.

 

Even after beating the army commanding officer and two soldiers to death, Beijing was feigning innocence and trying to put the blame on India, accusing it of provoking the conflict through 'unilateral actions', the Chief Minister said.

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Each sign of weakness on our part makes Chinese reaction more 'belligerent': Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

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Shocking, unbelievable, unacceptable: Congress on India-China faceoff

The Congress has termed "shocking" the news of killing of three Indian soldiers including an officer by Chinese sides at the Line of Actual Control in Galwan Valley. Congress Chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Shocking, Unbelievable & Unacceptable! Will the Raksha Mantri confirm?"

 

The Congress has been raising the issue and demanded clarity on it. "Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had also questioned about the stand-off but we're snubbed by the government," he said. An Indian Army Colonel, the Commanding Officer of an infantry battalion, and two soldiers were killed during a clash with Chinese troops at one of the stand-off points in the Galwan Valley on Monday night.

 

Indian Army in a statement said that during the de-escalation process which is underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place on Monday night with casualties. "The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers," Indian Army said. The force further stated that senior military officials of both the countries are currently meeting at the face-off site to defuse the situation.

4:05 PM

'Unspecified number of Chinese troops killed in clashes with India in Eastern Ladakh'

An unspecified number of Chinese troops were killed on Monday night in clashes with Indian soldiers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh where both sides have been locked in a face-off since May, IANS reported.

 

Although China remained tight-lipped about its casualties, The Global Times, published by the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), admitted that People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops have also been killed. However, he went on to warn India, saying, "I want to tell the Indian side, don't be arrogant and misread China's restraint as being weak. China doesn't want to have a clash with India, but we don't fear it."

 

Beijing has also asked India to restrain from crossing the border. The Chinese media quoted their Foreign Minister Wang Yi saying that he has lodged "solemn representations with the Indian side and urged it to strictly restrain its frontline troops from crossing the border or taking any unilateral action that may complicate the border situation".

 

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian earlier said that Indian troops had crossed the border line twice on Monday, "provoking and attacking Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical confrontation between border forces on the two sides". While Beijing mentioned that three Indian Army soldiers were killed, it did not specify whether People's Liberation Army suffered any casualties in the clashes.

 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that Indian troops on Monday had seriously violated the consensus of the two sides by illegally crossing the border. "China and Indian side agreed to resolve the bilateral issues through dialogue to ease the border situation and maintain peace and tranquility in border areas," the ministry said.

3:57 PM

Reports from Ladakh disturbing, PM Modi, Defence Minister should present clear picture: Deve Gowda

3:39 PM

We are demanding India to earnestly abide by relevant agreement and strictly restrain their frontline troops: Chinese Foreign Ministry

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