Army chief commends soldiers who fought in face-offs with China

Naravane arrived in Ladakh on Tuesday to assess preparedness in the border region

naravane ladakh Army chief General M.M. Naravane with soldiers in eastern Ladakh | Twitter handle of ADG PI

Indian Army chief General M.M. Naravane on Wednesday gave commendation cards to soldiers who had participated in recent face-offs with China.

Naravane met the soldiers on the second day of his two-day trip to Ladakh.

Indian and Chinese troops were involved in two separate clashes in May, which left dozens injured in the vicinity of Pangong Tso lake. The deadliest clash occurred on June 15, leaving 20 Indian soldiers dead and triggering the worst bout of tension between the two countries in five decades.

News agency ANI reported Naravane awarded commendation cards to "soldiers who fought with Chinese troops in face-offs in eastern Ladakh sector. Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in violent face-offs in Pangong Tso lake, Finger area and Galwan river valley".

Naravane also visited forward areas in the eastern Ladakh sector.

Naravane arrived in Ladakh on Tuesday to assess preparedness in the border region. On Tuesday, Naravane reviewed the Army's overall combat readiness in the Ladakh region with the ground commanders. Naravane also visited the military hospital in Leh and interacted with soldiers being treated there. Of the 76 Indian soldiers injured in the July 15 clash at Galwan, at least 18 were taken to the Leh hospital for treatment.

After news of the commendation cards emerged, there was speculation that these were for the personnel who participated in the clash at Galwan. An Army spokesperson issued a clarification, noting, "whenever chief of Army Staff visits formations or units, it is a norm to award 'on the spot' commendation cards to personnel who exhibit exceptional devotion to duty. In the instant case also, personnel have been awarded for devotion to duty.”

While India announced on Tuesday that the two armies had arrived at a "mutual consensus to disengage" from all friction points in eastern Ladakh, reports claim China has continued its military build-up in the region.

Last week, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria visited the Ladakh and Srinagar airbases to review preparedness. The visit came as the Indian Air Force deployed several fighter and helicopter units to forward bases in the region.

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