JOIN USThe brutal killing of 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh by the Chinese army on Monday night has set the LAC on fire and escalated the tense and fraught situation that has prevailed there in the past few weeks. This is the deadliest face-off between Indian and Chinese forces in over five decades and has reminded the country of a face of China hardly seen since 1962. The events leading up to the confrontation spell out a betrayal by the Chinese, as they acted with treachery after the two sides had only days ago agreed to withdraw their forces in the Valley. When Indian soldiers went to verify if the PLA had indeed pulled back as agreed, the Chinese ambushed them and beat them to death with clubs and spiked iron rods. The savagery is most distressing, and it happened amid ongoing talks between military officials to defuse the tension along the LAC. Only a few days ago, the Indian government had claimed that the “entire situation” along the LAC was “under control.” Monday’s events underscore that it was not.
China has been working systematically to alter the LAC by force. In early May, its soldiers crossed into the territory on the Indian side in the Galwan Valley and at Pangong Tso and Hot Springs. Not only have such intrusions grown in frequency and depth but the PLA has dug into these areas by setting up tents and building bunkers. In the Galwan Valley, the LAC had been accepted by the two sides but China has taken its occupation further, and on Tuesday, it claimed it had “always” held sovereignty over the area. India has made it clear to the Chinese that the creeping occupation of the Indian territory would not be tolerated. New Delhi must act on the talk politically, diplomatically and if necessary, by action on the ground. China must be made to realise that aggression will not go unchallenged. It must back off.
The escalation of violence on the LAC underscores how fragile the relations between the two countries are. Just a spark is enough to get a conflagration going and both countries cannot afford an escalation of the conflict. But India cannot also afford to compromise on its security and territorial integrity. It must ensure that the Galwan Valley issue is resolved on this basis only. The incident should be an eye-opener and should prompt India to shed some illusions. The Narendra Modi government must take a firm stand, and involve the Opposition to build a consensus on the LAC crisis to deal with China.