Galwan Heroes Martyred Fending Off Chinese Troops To Be Honoured With Gallantry Medals On R-Day
The brave sons of India who made the supreme sacrifice while protecting their motherland, the martyrs of Galwan Valley clashes are set to be honoured by the nation on Republic Day.
According to reports, the Indian Army soldiers who took on Chinese troops in the Galwan valley clash have been recommended to be awarded the war-time awards at this Republic Day.
The decision of the top Army brass has been to recommend these brave personnel for wartime gallantry awards. The wartime Chakra series awards include highest Paramvir Chakra, Mahavir Chakra and Vir Chakra.
The peacetime highest gallantry awards include Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.
Col Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment, was among 20 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the fierce hand-to-hand combat on June 15 in the Galwan Valley, an incident that marked one of the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades.
"Some of the Army personnel including Col Babu who displayed extreme courage during the Galwan clash are expected to be honoured on Republic Day," a government source told PTI.
The Chinese soldiers used stones, nail-studded sticks, iron rods and clubs in carrying out brutal attacks on Indian soldiers after they protested the erection of a surveillance post by China around patrolling point 14 in the Galwan Valley.
'Gallants of Galwan'??
The Indian Army has already built a memorial for the 'Gallants of Galwan' at Post 120 in eastern Ladakh.
The memorial mentioned their heroics under operation 'Snow Leopard' and the way they evicted the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops from the area while inflicting "heavy casualties" on them.
Separately, the Department of Military Affairs is in process of inscribing the names of Colonel Babu and the 19 other soldiers at the National War Memorial in Delhi.
The skirmishes which led to the bloodiest face-off between the two sides in decades still continue to be a flashpoint, that has redefined the India-China ties.
The "unilateral and provocative" actions by the Chinese military to change the status quo by force in more than one area on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) were responded to in a "firm" and "non-escalatory way", the Defence Ministry had said in a recently published annual report.
"Indian Army has maintained all protocols and agreements between the two countries while the PLA escalated the situation by utilisation of unorthodox weapons and amassing a large number of troops," it added.
