Indian Army pays homage to martyrs of Galwan valley clash on first anniversary

Srinagar: The Indian Army's Leh-based 14 Corps, popularly known as Fire and Fury Corps, on Tuesday (June 15) paid homage to the martyrs of Galwan on the first anniversary of the violent clash.

"In the face of unprecedented Chinese aggression, 20 Indian soldiers laid down their lives defending our land and inflicted heavy casualties on the PLA," the Army said.

In a solemn ceremony, Major General Akash Kaushik, COS, Fire and Fury Corps, laid a wreath at the iconic War Memorial in Leh on the occasion.

“The nation will remain eternally grateful to these gallant soldiers who fought in the most difficult high altitude terrain and made the supreme sacrifice in service of the nation,” the Army said.

Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane also led the force in hailing the valour of the 20 soldiers who laid down their lives.

The Army said the supreme sacrifice of the soldiers while fighting the adversary in the "most difficult" high altitude terrain will be "eternally etched" in the memory of the nation.

In the first deadly clash in the border area in nearly five decades, 20 Indian soldiers were killed on June 15 last year in the Galwan Valley in fierce hand-to-hand combat with Chinese troops, triggering a large deployment of troops and heavy weaponry by both armies at the friction points in eastern Ladakh.