Bengaluru: The attack on Indian soldiers at the Galwan Valley Monday night, killing 20 of them with iron rods, stones and barbed wires has angered, vexed and made all of us indignant. 

Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Shripad Naik said, "It is a matter of national security, there will be no compromise. We will not allow others to take our land. I pay tribute to all jawans who lost lives. The nation is proud of them that they made the supreme sacrifice. It won't go in vain. It was pre-planned by China and Indian forces will give a befitting reply."

"We were in talks with Chinese officials. Soldiers of both sides have demarche 2.5 KM. It is sad that China has attacked our soldiers in our territory and their soldiers have also been killed," he added.

Sadly, there were news reports that a few of the bodies of our soldiers were even badly mutilated. 

Interestingly, after the violent clashes, a decision has been taken to provide fully body-riot gear to the soldiers. 

An army officer, who is related to this development, said, “It means changing an army man’s mindset into a policeman’s. We won’t be surprised the next time.”  

A note on the incident:

It all began when Indian soldiers dismantled a Chinese tent at Patrol Point 14, which is close to the mouth of the Galwan river. It was reported that the tent had been dismantled following a meeting between Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, who commands the Leh-based XIV Corps, and Major-General Lin Liu, the head of the Xinjiang military district

But just within two days, it should be noted that the PLA set up a fresh tent at Patrol Point 14. This was in clear violation of the agreement.

So, the tent was burned down. Col Santosh Babu also laid down his life. His father, proud of his son’s martyrdom added that it is a privilege to die for the country.

India has always maintained that all its activities are well within its borders:

"Given its responsible approach to border management, India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the LAC. We expect the same of the Chinese side," MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said.