Indian and Chinese troops, on June 15, engaged in their first deadly clashes since 1975, resulting in the martydrom of 20 Indian soldiers, including that of a commanding officer. Sources revealed that at least 45-50 personnel of the Chinese army were killed in the violent clashes which took place in the Galwan valley of Eastern Ladakh.
The standoff between India and China started near Line of Actual Control (LAC) in May after India started construction of new roads on its side of the border. New Delhi's decision to boost up road and other infrastructure near the LAC did not go down well with Beijing and the latter upped the ante by sending more troops at four locations near eastern Ladakh and three in the Galwan Valley and one near Pangong Lake. Responding to Chinese aggression India had also moved an equal number of high-altitude warfare troops to these areas closer to the LAC to prevent intrusion of Chinese forces inside Indian territory. The People's Liberation Army and Indian troops have been locked in an eye-to-eye situation since May in several key areas, including Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley.
Here's a timeline of the stand-off and the ensuing clashes at Galwan Valley:
May 5: Scuffles at Pangong Tso and at Naku La in North Sikkim resulted in significant injuries due to aggression on both sides.
May 6: Objecting to a road being constructed by India, Chinese troops close in on Finger 2 of Pangong Tso and block the forward movement. After the scuffle on May 5, both sides move in additional troops in the region.
May 12: Chinese military helicopters are seen flying close to Line of Actual Control, after which a fleet of Su-30 fighters of the Indian Air Force are sent to carry our sorties. Additional troops rushed to the site.
May 23: Army Chief General Manoj Naravane visits the Leh-based 14 Corps headquarters to review the situation.
May 26: India's top military brass meets PM Modi. The meeting came hours after the top four generals briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh about the situation in Pangong Tso lake, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldi where the Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in aggressive posturing for the last 20 days.
May 27: Chinese President Xi Jinping orders the military to scale up the battle preparedness, visualising worst-case scenarios and asked them to resolutely defend the country's sovereignty.
June 1: Beijing says overall situation along the China-India border is stable and controllable. The Chinese keepsa fleet of around 10-12 fighter aircraft stationed near Easter Ladakh and carry out flying activity close to Indian territory.
June 2: Major general-rank officers hold deliberations. Reports suggested the meeting remained "inconclusive".
June 6: In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Indian military delegation headed by the commander of Leh-based 14 Corp Lieutenant General Harinder Singh and China's Major General Liu Lin, Commander of South Xinjiang Military Region hold talks.
June 13: Army Chief General Naravane said the situation along the borders is under control. "I would like to assure everyone that the entire situation along our borders with China is under control. We are having a series of talks which started with corps commander level talks which was followed up with meetings at the local level between commanders of equivalent ranks," he said.
June 15: Army delegations from India and China hold discussions again. Talks take place at two locations along the LAC --- brigadier-ranked officers meet in the Galwan Valley and Colonel-ranked officers in Hot Springs. The engagement between the two sides happens the same evening.
June 16: Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in a "violent face-off" with Chinese troops at Galwan Valley in Ladakh, the army said.
