India-China border tensions | Chinese Army pulls back troops involved in Galwan Valley clash: Report

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has pulled back troops that were involved in the violent face-off in Galwan Valley on June 15-16, according to a report by The Economic Times.

However, it is unclear if they have been rotated out from the sector as part of the disengagement process.

The report suggests that regular Chinese border troops that had been manning the area have now been deployed.

On the Indian side, personnel from the 16 Bihar regiment, who were involved in the clash are being reportedly moved out from Galwan as well as part of the regular rotation of troops that is carried out in border areas.

The report adds that the 16 Bihar regiment was to move out in March but the process got delayed due to movement restrictions triggered by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met soldiers from the regiment during his visit to eastern Ladakh on July 17. He also met a Subedar of the battalion who led troops maid PLA’s ambush.

Tensions along the LAC had been rising since early May amid a stand-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers. However, the tensions escalated to another level after 20 Indian Army soldiers, including an officer, were killed in a violent face-off in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on June 15-16.

There were casualties on the Chinese side too. However, that number is not clear.

Since then, the Indian Army has already sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border in June.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has also moved a sizeable 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.

Both sides have completed creation of a buffer zone of three kilometres in the three friction points of Galwan Valley, Gogra and Hot Springs as part of a temporary measure. There has been reported thinning out of troops from Finger 4 area in Pangong Tso as well.

The ‘Finger area’ of Pangong Tso is made up of spurs that rise along the bank of the lake. According to India, the LAC is situated at Finger 8. The large swath of land between Finger 4 and 8 used to be patrolled by both sides before tensions escalated in May.

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