ITBP awards men who fought with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, Army prefers to wait

Applauding the braves involved in the skirmishes on the China front in May-June including the fierce Galwan Valley clash with the PLA soldiers, Indo-Tibetan Border Police on Friday announced 21 gallantry medals for its troops who fought shoulder-to-shoulder along with the army personnel in eastern Ladakh.

The ITBP also provided what may be a rare official glimpse into the June 15 clash in which 20 Indian soldiers including the commanding officer of an Army battalion and a significant number of People’s Liberation Army med were killed in brutal hand-to-hand combat.

The para-military troops specially trained in high-altitude policing and mountain warfare effectively used shields to protect them from PLA stone pelting, but also responded fiercely to PLA advancing troops in order to bring the situation under control. Along with the Army soldiers, they also brought the injured Indian soldiers to the rear for safety.

“Even when the ITBP troops fought the whole night, they received minimal casualties by giving befitting replies to the stone-pelters of the PLA. At places, they gave a determined stand-off for 17 to 20 hours throughout the intervening night,” the ITBP said in a statement.

On June 15th when Indian Army and ITBP soldiers went to Patrol Point-14 in the Galwan valley in east Ladakh to check removal of some of the Chinese structures as mutually agreed before, they were ambushed by the PLA troops.

The fight that continued for hours led to the death of 20 army men including Col B Santosh Babu of 16 Bihar Regiment. ITBP troops fought shoulder to shoulder and also brought the injured Indian Army troops to the rear. ITBP also awarded 294 personnel with the DGs commendation rolls for their role on the China front.

The Indian Army, however, did not recommend anyone involved in the Galwan clash for the gallantry awards this time but sources pointed out that the soldiers deployed in eastern Ladakh would be considered for such an award on January 26, 2021.

The nation’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, Kirti Chakra, was posthumously awarded to Abdul Rashid Kalas, head constable, Jammu and Kashmir police for his role in an operation to kill two Jaish-e-Mohammed local commanders who masterminded the Pulwama terror attack last year.

There are nine recipients of Shaurya Chakra – three from the army, one from the air force and five from various central paramilitary and police organisations under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Four out of the five MHA recipients will receive the award posthumously.

Three Indian Army soldiers received Shuarya Chakra for the exemplary courage they showed while fighting the enemy on the Pakistan front. In addition, five army personnel received the Bar to Send Medal (winning the medal for the second time) and 60 got Sena Medal for gallantry (including eight posthumous).