Indian soldiers killed in China border clash were unarmed and surrounded, families say

The June 15 clash left 20 Indian soldiers dead. No shots were fired, but it was the biggest loss of life in combat between the nations since 1967

China’s Foreign Ministry has blamed the Indian side for crossing the de facto border shared by the countries in the Himalayas, provoking the Chinese

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets soldiers during a visit to the Ladakh region. Photo: AP

Published: 9:42am, 6 Jul 2020Updated: 10:27am, 6 Jul 2020

Indian soldiers who died in close combat with Chinese troops last month were unarmed and surrounded by a larger force on a steep ridge, Indian government sources, two soldiers deployed in the area and families of the fallen men said.

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

Others fell to their deaths in the freezing waters of the Galwan river in the western Himalayas, relatives have learned from witnesses.

Twenty Indian soldiers died in the June 15 clash on the de facto border separating the two armies. The soldiers all belonged to the 16th Bihar Regiment deployed in the Galwan region.

No shots were fired, but it was the biggest loss of life in combat between the nuclear-armed neighbours since 1967, when the simmering border dispute flared into deadly battles.

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 nighttime clash at 4,267 metres amid remote, barren mountains.

Reuters contacted the military hospital in India’s Ladakh region where the bodies were brought. The hospital declined to comment on the cause of death and said that the bodies were sent to the families along with the death certificates.

Indian soldiers killed in China border clash were unarmed and surrounded, families say

The June 15 clash left 20 Indian soldiers dead. No shots were fired, but it was the biggest loss of life in combat between the nations since 1967 China’s Foreign Ministry has blamed the Indian side for crossing the de facto border shared by the countries in the Himalayas, provoking the Chinese

The June 15 clash left 20 Indian soldiers dead. No shots were fired, but it was the biggest loss of life in combat between the nations since 1967

China’s Foreign Ministry has blamed the Indian side for crossing the de facto border shared by the countries in the Himalayas, provoking the Chinese