Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday grieved the death of 20 Army personnel asserting that the loss of soldiers during a face-off in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh "is deeply disturbing and painful".


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The Indian Army had said that 20 of its soldiers were killed in violent clashes with Chinese troops during a face-off in Galwan on June 15 night. This is the biggest ever military confrontation between the two armies in over five decades. In a statement, the army said that almost the same number of Chinese troops have been killed during the clashes in the Galwan Valley.


Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Singh said that the soldiers displayed exemplary courage and valour in the line of duty and sacrificed their lives in the highest traditions of the Indian Army. He added that the nation will never forget their bravery and sacrifice. 




Extending his sympathies to the families of the martyred soldiers, Singh said that the nation stands shoulder to shoulder with them in this difficult hour. 


"The loss of soldiers in Galwan is deeply disturbing and painful. Our soldiers displayed exemplary courage and valour in the line of duty and sacrificed their lives in the highest traditions of the Indian Army," Singh tweeted.


"The Nation will never forget their bravery and sacrifice. My heart goes out to the families of the fallen soldiers. The nation stand shoulder to shoulder with them in this difficult hour. We are proud of the bravery and courage of India’s breavehearts," he also tweeted.


The Indian Army on June 16 had said in a statement, "Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed on the night of 15/16 June 2020. 17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty at the stand-off location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain have succumbed to their injuries, taking the total that were killed in action to 20. The Indian Army is firmly committed to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation," the official release had said.


The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had blamed China for the incident and alleged that it tried to unilaterally change the status and "departed from the consensus to respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley".


MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said both sides suffered casualties in the violent face-off and the Chinese side departed from the consensus to respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley. Srivastava said that India and China have been discussing through military and diplomatic channels the de-escalation of the situation in the border area in Eastern Ladakh.