NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (June 17, 2020) said that sacrifice of the Indian soldiers will not go in vain as the country’s armed forces are fully capable of giving a befitting reply to the enemy if instigated. “The sacrifice of our soldiers along the border with China will not go in vain,” the Prime Minister said.


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The PM made these remarks at the start of the second day of his virtual meeting with state chief ministers on the coronavirus situation, Hardening his stance on the India-China face-off in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, the PM said that “India will defend every inch of its territory.”


PM Narendra Modi said this while referring to the martyrdom of at least 20 Indian soldiers during a violent face-off with the Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in the eastern Ladakh on Monday night.


During the occasion, the PM and all CMs also observed a two-minute silence as a tribute to the martyred Indian soldiers. "Whenever there was a situation, we have shown our strength to keep India united. We have tried that differences do not come between disputes," the PM said on Ladakh face-off. 


“The whole country is with the families of those who sacrificed their lives for the country. India will defend every stone, every inch of its territory. India is a peace-loving country which has always tried to maintain cooperative and friendly relations with neighbours,” PM Modi said.


Trying to assure the nation, the PM said, “India wants peace but is capable of giving befitting reply if instigated.”


The Indian Army had on Tuesday (June 16, 2020) said that at least 20 soldiers have been martyred during the violent face-off with the Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night.


Though the Army did not elaborate on the exact number, it said that almost the same number of Chinese troops have been killed during the clashes in the Galwan Valley.


"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 Indian Army said in an official release.


The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) 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".


Speaking on the issue, 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.


Responding to media queries on the situation in the western sector of the India-China border, 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.


He said commanders of two sides had a productive meeting on June 6 and agreed on a process for such de-escalation and subsequently ground commanders had a series of meetings to implement the consensus reached at a higher level.


"While it was our expectation that this would unfold smoothly, the Chinese side departed from the consensus to respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley. On the late evening and night of June 15, 2020, a violent face-off happened as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo there. Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side," he said.


Srivastava said that given its responsible approach to border management, India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the LAC. "We expect the same of the Chinese side," he said.


The MEA spokesperson said that India remains firmly convinced of the need for maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and the resolution of differences through dialogue. "At the same time, we are also strongly committed to ensuring India`s sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said. 


The Army had earlier said that Colonel Santosh Babu, the Commanding Officer of 16, Bihar Regiment, Havildar K Pazhani and Sepoy Kundan Kumar Ojha had laid down their lives during the skirmish with the Chinese Army on Monday night.