Indian, Chinese army officials hold meeting to defuse tension after face-off in Ladakh

The Indian Army said the incident took place at a time the de-escalation process was “underway in the Galwan Valley” in Ladakh. It has also said that there were casualties on both sides.

Military commanders of Indian and Chinese armies are meeting on Tuesday after India said one of its officers and two soldiers were killed in a “violent faceoff” in eastern Ladakh on Monday night, in the first such incident in over four decades between the neighbours.

Major General Abhijit Bapat, the commander of the Karu-based HQs 3 Infantry Division, and his Chinese counterpart are holding talks at the site of the clash.(File photo for representation)

The Indian Army said the incident took place at a time the de-escalation process was “underway in the Galwan Valley” in Ladakh. It has also said that there were casualties on both sides.

“Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting to defuse the situation,” the Indian Army said.

Major General Abhijit Bapat, the commander of the Karu-based HQs 3 Infantry Division, and his Chinese counterpart are holding talks at the site of the clash.

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Defence minister Rajnath Singh also reviewed the current situation in eastern Ladakh along with the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawar and the three service chiefs. External affairs minister S Jaisahankar was also present during the meeting, officials said.

Before this, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane had cancelled his scheduled visit to Pathankot on Tuesday.

The face-off happened along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh where rival soldiers were caught in a standoff that began with a confrontation between rival patrols near Pangong Tso on the night of May 5-6.

China’s foreign ministry said it wasn’t aware of fatalities on either side.

Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry, spoke about the close communication through military and diplomatic channels and blamed Indian soldiers for Monday evening’s violent exchange in the Galwan Valley.

India and China have been holding diplomatic and military engagements for an early resolution of the weeks-long standoff between the border troops of the two countries.