Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 20

To pay tributes to martyrs, who were killed in a clash with Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh earlier this week, the Education Department has decided to rename government schools in their native villages.

In Patiala’s Seel village, Government Primary School has been named as Martyr Naib Subedar Mandeep Singh Primary School, while in Gurdaspur’s Bhojraj village, Government Middle School has been rechristened Martyr Naib Subedar Satnam Singh Middle School. Besides, the department renamed Government Middle School at Birewala Dogran village in Mansa after Sepoy Gurtej Singh and a high school at Tolawal village in Sangrur after Sepoy Gurbinder Singh.

Amarjeet Singh, District Education Officer (DEO), said it was small gesture to pay tributes to the soldiers for their sacrifice and bravery. He said he had already conveyed the message to the Block Primary Education Officer (BPEO) and village sarpanches to make the necessary changes. The signboards of all these schools would be changed by next week, he added.

Arun Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 23

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, who landed in Leh on Tuesday within a couple of hours of the reports that India and China had reached an agreement for the peaceful disengagement on the LAC, started assessment of the standoff situation and the talks from the word go.

General Naravane’s two-day visit is essentially focused to gauge the ground situation in the wake of the standoff between the Indian and Chinese troops along the LAC as some reports have suggested that the PLA troops have entrenched themselves on the Indian side with tents, arms and ammunition.

With Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian having confirmed that the two sides had agreed to disengage at his press briefing on Tuesday, the Army Chief interacted with commanders, including Corps Commander of the 14 Corps Lieut-Gen Harinder Singh.

Sources said he sounded cautiously optimistic and asked the troops to stay alert to the maximum until things eased on the ground.

His visit started with an interaction with the soldiers injured in the June 15 clash with the Chinese troops. He lauded their exemplary bravery in resisting the attempts by the Chinese troops to unilaterally alter the LAC in Galwan Valley and vowed all help to them.

The sources said that the Army Chief would have a relook at everything from the operational preparedness to permanent heightened vigil on this border.

Arun Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 24

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane today visited the forward areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, where some of the areas are reckoned to be flashpoints between India and China, and reviewed the operational preparedness of the troops to meet any eventuality.

Gen Naravane told jawans on the frontiers in eastern Ladakh that the whole nation was with them and the nation expected them to remain vigilant and be prepared to meet any situation that might arise on the borders, though he added with emphasis that the real focus was to maintain peace and tranquillity on the borders.

Eastern Ladakh has been theatre of standoffs and skirmishes, ranging from fisticuff fights to the extreme violent clashes. On May 5, there were scuffles, but on June 15, a clash at the Galwan valley, at an altitude of nearly 14,000 feet, had left 20 Indian soldiers dead, while China has not spelled out the number of its casualties of that day.

An Army spokesperson from Leh confirmed that Gen Naravane reviewed the operational situation in the eastern Ladakh sector and he was briefed by the General-Officer-Commanding, Trishul Division, about the prevailing situation — a reference to the heightened tension due to stiff faceoff between India and China. The Trishul Division looks after Chushul and Pangong Tso where the standoff is very severe.

Gen Harinder Singh, Corps Commander of 14 Corps, who had led the military delegation in talks with his Chinese counterpart on Monday, briefed the Army Chief about the whole gamut of events and also the way talks were held to reach a consensus to de-escalate the standoff in the due course of time.

The Indian Army would wait and watch the whole situation developing in the next few days before taking further steps and that would depend on the behaviour of Chinese troops at the LAC.

He interacted with troops deployed in the sector and complimented them for their steadfastness and high morale.

Pune, June 24

At least 12 trainee sailors of the Lonavala-based INS Shivaji, one of the premier training establishments of the Indian Navy, have so far tested positive for coronavirus, officials said.

The first case was found on June 18 and the infected cadet was part of a batch of 157 trainee sailors who had reported back after leave following the easing of lockdown earlier this month, a release issued by the naval station on Tuesday said.

“With the easing of lockdown as per Unlock 1.0 in the first week of June, a batch of 157 trainee sailors who were undergoing training at this establishment and were on extended leave in view of the lockdown, reported back and all were quarantined for 14 days in one of the institutional quarantine facilities prepared in the unit,” it said.

One of the trainee sailors from the batch was found to be symptomatic during the quarantine period and tested positive for coronavirus on June 18, it said.

“Further, all other high-risk contacts who are staying in that particular quarantine facility are being tested as per the extant procedure and necessary medical support is being provided. A total of 12 out of 157 trainee sailors have been found coronavirus positive as on date,” the release said.

Since the infection is contained to one particular quarantine block, the possibility of spread of infection to other areas/personnel of the establishment is negligible.

However, all precautions have been instituted to obviate further spread, it said.

All precautions, instructions and directions issued with respect to COVID-19 by the Government of India and the Indian Navy, from time to time, are being strictly adhered to, the release said.

All personnel in the base are already maintaining the required precautions against COVID-19, it added.

INS Shivaji is an Indian Naval station located in the hill town of Lonavala in Maharashtra’s Pune district. It houses the Naval College of Engineering which trains officers of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. PTI

Arun Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 24

On the second and concluding day of his two-day-long visit to Ladakh, Army chief Gen MM Naravane on Wednesday visited eastern Ladakh, the theatre of the fierce standoff between Indian and Chinese troops.

Also read:

China ramps up military presence at friction points in Ladakh, other areas along LAC

India, China agree to ‘sincerely’ deescalate at LAC

Army chief Gen Naravane visits India-China stand-off site in Ladakh

China again blames India for violent face-off in Eastern Ladakh

Gen Naravane, during his interaction with the soldiers on the sandy soil of the cold desert, commended the valour of the soldiers deployed on the frontlines amid harsh weather conditions and challenging terrain.

Also read: China again blames India for violent face-off in Eastern Ladakh

Coursemates pay homage to ‘hero of Galwan’ Col Babu

His visit to eastern Ladakh, where the Chinese troops had challenged the perceptive Line of Actual Control, is being seen as a significant gesture towards the soldiers. At the same time it has sent a strong message across the LAC that the country’s military leadership stands in solidarity with the jawans.

It was after the June 15 violent clashes at Galwan Valley where Chinese troops had sought to unilaterally alter the LAC that the tensions had peaked, and the two sides had solidified their positions in the eastern Ladakh LAC.

Gen Naravane had landed at the headquarters of 14 Corps, known as Fire and Fury Corp, on Monday to review the situation and the operational preparedness of the troops.

14 Corps was set up within months of the Kargil war to effectively guard the borders that run up to heights of 12,000 to 14,000 plus feet above sea level.

New Delhi, June 24

China has significantly ramped up its military presence in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and several other friction points in eastern Ladakh even as it is engaged in military and diplomatic talks with India to ease tension in the region, people familiar with the development said.

Also read: 

India, China agree to ‘sincerely’ deescalate at LAC

Army chief Gen Naravane visits India-China stand-off site in Ladakh

China again blames India for violent face-off in Eastern Ladakh

They said Chinese military has also deployed a sizeable number of its troops in Galwan Valley, the site of the violent clashes on June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

The erection of a surveillance post by China in the area had triggered the clashes. However, Chinese troops have again put up some structure around patrolling point 14 in the area, notwithstanding India’s stiff opposition, they said.

Over the last few days, China has been laying claim over Galwan Valley though India called it “untenable”.

Besides Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley, the two armies are also locked in a standoff in Demchok, Gogra Hot Spring and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh. A sizeable number of Chinese Army personnel transgressed into the Indian side of the LAC.

China has also increased the number of troops and weaponry in several other key sectors along the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand, the people cited above said.

The increase in military build-up by China along the LAC, the de-facto border between the two countries, came amid bilateral diplomatic and military talks.

Senior military commanders of the two armies on Monday held a nearly 11-hour meeting during which they arrived at a “mutual consensus” to “disengage” from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh in a gradual manner.

The two sides on Wednesday held diplomatic talks under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs.

In the meeting, both sides agreed to ensure expeditious implementation of the understanding on disengagement of troops from eastern Ladakh as decided in a meeting of senior military commanders on June 6, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

In the midst of fast-paced developments, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane on Wednesday visited various forward areas in eastern Ladakh and reviewed the Army’s operational preparedness.

On the second day of his visit to Ladakh, Gen Naravane took stock of the Army’s combat preparedness in four forward areas and interacted with soldiers deployed there besides holding detailed deliberations with ground commanders.

The Army Chief reviewed the overall security situation in the region with Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Yogesh Kumar Joshi, commander of the 14 Corps Lt Gen Harinder Singh and other senior Army officials on both Tuesday and Wednesday, sources said.

The Chief of Army Staff is expected to return to the national capital on Thursday.

“General M M Naravane #COAS visited forward areas in Eastern #Ladakh and reviewed the operational situation on the ground. #COAS commended the troops for their high morale and exhorted them to continue working with zeal and enthusiasm,” the Army said in a tweet.

The sources said India is also bolstering its military presence along the 3,500 km LAC with China.

On Sunday, the government gave the armed forces “full freedom” to give a “befitting” response to any Chinese misadventure along the LAC.

The Army has already sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border in the last one week.

The IAF has also moved a significant number of its frontline Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar, Mirage 2000 aircraft and Apache attack helicopters to several key air bases including Leh and Srinagar following the clashes.

The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on May 5 and 6. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim on May 9.

Prior to the clashes, both sides had been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it was necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas. PTI

A contingent of the Indian Armed Forces took part in 75th anniversary of the Victory Day Parade in Moscow

The 75-member contingent marched alongside those of Russian armed forces and 17 other countries

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the parade and said it was a ‘proud moment’ for him back page

Moscow, June 24

After strategic business talks, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar attended the Victory Day parade at the Red Square in Moscow on Wednesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

• Also read: Best foot forward at Victory Day Parade

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was extremely proud that a 75-member Tri-service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces participated in the 75th anniversary of the Victory Day Parade at the iconic Red Square here on Wednesday. Singh arrived here on a three-day visit on Tuesday at the invitation of the Russian Ministry of Defence to attend the celebrations. Singh also conveyed his greetings for the solemn ceremonies of the 75th Victory Day and congratulated the “friendly” people of Russia. — PTI

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 24

Even as Indian and Chinese diplomats today agreed to sincerely implement the understanding on disengagement and de-escalation that was reached by senior military commanders on June 6 and 22, official statements from Beijing continued to blame India for the June 15 Galwan valley clash.

• Editorial: Diplomatic downgrade

Interacting through video-conferencing, the 15th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) saw India convey its concerns on the recent developments in eastern Ladakh. It was emphasised that both sides should strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Taking place after almost a year, the meeting recalled the conversation last week between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in which they agreed to implement the June 6 understanding expeditiously.

In Beijing, spokespersons of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministries again injected a note of rancour, blaming India for the June 15 clash. The Defence Ministry, in particular, gave a graphic account of events that led to the clash. Asked why he was treading old ground when ice-breaking conversations had been held subsequently, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said he wanted to clarify the situation “because the MEA in India and also Indian media have made some false reports.’’ There has been no reaction from the MEA to this allegation so far.

However, both spokespersons later in their statements wound down the aggression, hoping the situation would cool down as soon as possible. Defence Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian termed China and India as “important neighbours to each other’’ and wanted both sides to make efforts to jointly ease the border situation.

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 24

Just two days after a meeting of senior Commanders of India and China at Ladakh, the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remains tense. Latest satellite imagery shows additional structures by the People’s Liberation Army of China have come up in the area where the deadly clash took place in the Galwan valley on June 15.

• Also read: Amid diplomatic talks, note of rancour
• After talks, Rajnath attends Victory Day Parade in Russia

Separately, sources reported movement of additional PLA troops over the past one week at the Depsang plains further north of Galwan towards the Karokaram pass, raising concern as the strategic airfield of Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) is less than 25 km from the Chinese posts.

Indian Army officials in New Delhi, however, said the satellite images were yet to be verified. The officials refused to comment if it was the same spot – Patrol Point 14 — where the clash had occurred, saying it would be imprudent to comment for now.

The satellite images of the Galwan valley dated June 22 put out by Twitter handle @detresfa, which has been releasing accurate images since early May, show a buildup by the PLA at the valley after the June 15 clash.

Images used by the Twitter handle show possible defensive positions like walls and trenches being set up.

In New Delhi, sources said the movement at Depsang plains was serious, as the PLA was close to a place called ‘Bottleneck’ from where it had a vantage position to interdict patrols of the Indian Army along Patrol Points 10, 11, 11-A, 12 and 13. This is the Rakki Nallah and Jeewan Nallah area where the standoff took place in 2013.

Any further movement westwards by the PLA can threaten the Darbuk-Shyok-DBO (DSDBO) road and the airfield at DBO. North of DBO is the Karokaram pass and to the west of it lies Siachen.

At a meeting of Lt General-level commanders of India and China on June 22, it was decided that the modalities would be worked out on the ground to disengage troops and withdraw their heavy military equipment, including fighter jets and tanks, lined up near the LAC.

No immediate movement was expected as there was an element of mistrust after the Galwan valley clash.

Meanwhile, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane is scheduled to visit a forward location along the LAC on Thursday, before he flies back to New Delhi. The Army Chief had visited forward areas along the LAC on Wednesday and reviewed the operational preparedness.

Heightened threat for Indian Army

• The PLA movement at Depsang plains is matter of concern for India, as Chinese troops are close to a place called ‘Bottleneck’ from where they have a vantage position to interdict patrols of the Indian Army along Patrol Points 10, 11, 11-A, 12 & 13.
• Any further movement westwards by the PLA can threaten the Darbuk-Shyok-DBO road and the airfield at DBO. North of DBO is the Karokaram pass and to the west of it lies Siachen.

Officials tight-lipped

Indian Army officials in New Delhi have said the satellite images on the buildup are yet to be verified. The officials refused to admit if it was the same spot – Patrol Point 14 — where the clash had occurred, saying it will be imprudent to comment for now.

Army Chief fetes troops

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Wednesday awarded ‘Commendation Cards’ to five soldiers for displaying exemplary grit and courage in dealing with Chinese troops in two clashes at Pangong Tso and Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh, official sources said. inside