Indian soldiers killed in Galwan clash were unarmed, say families

Death certificates of five of the soldiers showed injuries to the neck and head

ladakh galwan rep Representational image

The 20 Indian soldiers who died in the clash with Chinese forces in Galwan on June 15 were unarmed, families of the martyrs and two jawans deployed in the area have told Reuters.

The Reuters report on Monday could raise questions on the claim of Foreign Minister Dr S. Jaishankar on June 18 that the soldiers in the Galwan clash were carrying arms. Replying to a tweet by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who alleged the soldiers were unarmed, Jaishankar wrote, "Let us get the facts straight. All troops on border duty always carry arms, especially when leaving post. Those at Galwan on 15 June did so. Long-standing practice (as per 1996 & 2005 agreements) not to use firearms during faceoffs."

Reuters "spoke to relatives of 13 of the men who were killed, and in five cases they produced death certificates listing horrific injuries suffered during the six-hour night-time clash at 14,000 ft (4,267 metres) amid remote, barren mountains."

"A relative of one of the soldiers who accompanied Colonel Santosh Babu, the commanding officer, to the site of two tents erected by the Chinese troops told Reuters that members of the Indian patrol were unarmed. They were confronted by a small group of Chinese soldiers and an argument ensued over the tents and a small observation tower...," Reuters reported.

A soldier who overheard radio messages from the patrol party in Galwan seeking reinforcements told Reuters, "The Chinese side overwhelmed our people by sheer numbers." The revelation is likely to bolster suspicion that the attack at Galwan was premeditated.

Brutal assault

"One of the Indian soldiers had his throat slit with metal nails in the darkness, his father told Reuters, saying he had been told by a fellow soldier who was there," the report said.

Death certificates of five of the soldiers showed injuries to the neck and head, indicating use of vicious force. "Three of the dead men had their 'arteries ruptured in the neck' and two sustained head injuries caused by 'sharp or pointed objects', the death certificates seen by Reuters said. There were visible marks on the neck and forehead, all five documents said," Reuters reported.

“It was a free-for-all, they fought with whatever they could lay their hands on—rods, sticks, and even with their bare hands,” a government official told Reuters.

Days after the clash, an image of rods, spiked with barbed wire, that were purportedly used by the Chinese forces went viral, triggering outrage.