Names of 20 Galwan heroes inscribed on eastern Ladakh war memorial

The names of the soldiers, who fought off numerically superior Chinese troops in the remote sector, will also be inscribed on the National War Memorial in Delhi

The names of the 20 Indian soldiers killed in the brutal Galwan Valley skirmish in eastern Ladakh on June 15 have been inscribed on a war memorial in eastern Ladakh, officials said on Saturday.

The reported site of the fatal clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan River Valley in the Ladakh region near the Line of Actual Control. (AP)

Colonel B Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of 16 Bihar, was among the 20 soldiers killed in the seven-hour deadly conflict near Patrolling Point 14 in Galwan Valley, where outnumbered Indian troops inflicted heavy casualties on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The names of all battle casualties are inscribed on the National War Memorial, the officials said.

Beijing has not disclosed the number of fatalities it suffered in the Galwan Valley clash but according to India’s assessment, the PLA suffered twice as many casualties.

Apart from 16 Bihar, soldiers from 3 Punjab, 3 Medium Regiment and 81 Field Regiment were involved in the clash.

The Indian soldiers confronted the Chinese troops, who refused to remove their installations and vacate the area, triggering a violent clash that involved more than 600 rival soldiers at its peak.