India To Posthumously Honour Its Bravehearts Of Galwan Clash On This Year’s Republic Day

On this year’s Republic day, India is going to honor its bravehearts who were killed defending the country while resisting China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) aggression to capture territory in East Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on 15 June 2020, reports Hindustan Times.

At least five Indian Army soldiers including Colonel B Santosh Babu of 16 Bihar battalion may get posthumously honored with gallantry medals.

Last year’s violent escalation between the two Himalayan neighbors had heightened the hostility between India and China to an unprecedented level since the 1962 Indo-China war.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) extensively planned the Galwan Valley attack against Indian Army personnel which included using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to spy on Indian positions.

Despite the surprise attack the Indian Army bravely fought back and inflicted over 40 casualties on the Chinese side. US intelligence reports have claimed that 35 of the Chinese troops including the Commanding Officer may have died.

The violent clash at Galwan valley involved more than 600 rival soldiers. Majority of casualties on both sides were due to hypothermia with the soldiers getting pushed out of the cliff into the Galwan river.

Twenty Indian soldiers including Colonel B Santosh Babu of 16 Bihar battalion laid down their lives in the seven-hour long conflict along the Line of Actual Control.