Indian soldiers pose with the Tricolour as part of New Year celebrations at Galwan valley in Ladakh. pti

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 4

Within days of Chinese claims of unveiling their country’s flag at Galwan valley, it turned out that the Indian troops too had unfurled the Tricolour there on the New Year’s Day.

Edit: China at it again

Sources in the security establishment released a set of pictures that show fully armed troops of the Indian Army carrying US-made Sig Sauer rifles and holding a large Tricolour as part of New Year celebrations at Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh.

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The move is seen as a flag-for-flag response to a video by the Chinese state media purportedly showing PLA soldiers unfurling their national flag in the region three days back. The two armies had exchanged sweets and greetings on January 1 at 10 spots along the 3,488-km-long undemarcated boundary. Sources say the Chinese flag unveiling and sloganeering was not at Galwan valley where troops of both sides had clashed in June 2020.

The video could have been shot anywhere along the Galwan river valley bed on the Chinese side. There are no geo coordinates to indicate that it was shot at the LAC, claim the sources. The image of Chinese troops shows white-coloured markings on the mountain. There is no marking visible on the mountains at the spot where the Galwan river enters Ladakh from Tibet.

The Galwan river enters India after a sharp westward bend and some 7 km downstream joins the Shyok river for its onwards journey into the Indus. The LAC is close to the bend where the river takes a westward turn. Part of the valley is on the other side of the LAC and some part is in India. The images, which the Indian side clicked, showed a fully occupied post and small platoon of men clothed in winter clothing, snow boots and fully armed.