The names of 20 Indian Army personnel, who were martyred after valiantly fighting Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15, will be inscribed on the National War Memorial here, officials said on Thursday. They said the process for inscribing the names of the Army personnel on the memorial may take a few months. Chinese and Indian jawans clashed in Galwan Valley for several hours on the night of June 15 in their deadliest brawl in the last five decades. Colonel B Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment, was among the Indian Army personnel martyred in the clash The incident significantly escalated the border tension in eastern Ladakh with India calling it “a premeditated and planned action by China” The Chinese soldiers used stones, nail-studded sticks, iron rods and clubs in carrying out brutal attacks on Indian soldiers after they protested the erection of a surveillance post by China around patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley. China has not disclosed the number of casualties its troops suffered. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35. During a visit to Lukung forward post in eastern Ladakh on July 17, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh personally conveyed his appreciation and compliments to the troops from the Bihar regiment for displaying exemplary grit and courage in fighting the Chinese troops. In his address to the soldiers, the defence minister said the Indian soldiers martyred in the Galwan Valley clash not only showed exemplary courage in safeguarding the border but also protected the pride of 130 crore Indians. Last month, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane awarded ”Commendation Cards” to five soldiers for their bravery in dealing with Chinese troops during the Galwan Valley clash as well as confronting rival soldiers in Pangong Tso in May.
