Bengaluru: Just days after Chinese troops killed Indian soldiers at the Galwan Valley, the Northern Command has begun equipping its soldiers with lightweight riot gear. The body protectors comprise padded polycarbonate inserts and protects wearers from, significantly, sharp objects and stones, reports India Today. 

Also Read: Bodies of a few Indian soldiers mutilated

The website further added that the first consignment of 500 sets of full-body protectors was airlifted from the Mumbai-based supplier to Leh where it is to be distributed among troops deployed along the LAC.

But the transition is not an easy one. 

 

It is interesting to note what an officer said in this regard, as quoted by the website. 

He said, “It means changing an army man’s mindset into a policeman’s. We won’t be surprised the next time.”  

Also Read: What we need to learn from our soldiers

PLA soldiers had used iron batons, barbed wires to attack Indian soldiers. 

As reported by News18, there was a furious hand-to-hand fighting for well over eight hours. The People’s Liberation Army assault teams were armed with iron rods as well as batons wrapped in barbed wire.

It added an officer as saying, “Even unarmed men who fled into the hillsides were hunted down and killed. The dead include men who jumped into the Galwan river in a desperate effort to escape.”

The website also quoted government sources say at least another two dozen soldiers are battling life-threatening injuries, and over 110 have needed treatment.

This morning, it was reported that the bodies of a few Indian soldiers were mutilated. 

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. News18 has 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.