Intense negotiations through diplomatic and military channels, including three rounds of talks between senior military officers, led to the release of 10 Indian soldiers detained by the Chinese side during the violent brawl of June 15 in Galwan Valley, people familiar with developments said.
The people, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 10 soldiers, including at least two officers, were returned to the Indian side on Thursday evening, three days after the violent face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that left 20 soldiers, including a colonel, dead.
The release follows several rounds of talks between the two sides in a bid to ease tensions after the battle on Monday, in which scores of troops from the two sides fought with nail-studded batons and hurled rocks at each other.
The 10 soldiers were freed late on Thursday, the Press Trust of India news agency and other media reported.
The Indian government made no comment but the army released a statement saying: “It is clarified that there are no Indian troops missing in action” after the fighting in the Galwan Valley area of Ladakh.
These soldiers were missing, or taken captive, or cornered behind enemy lines at Galwan Valley. According to rules, this personnel were de-briefed and will be asked to give an account of the period they were ‘missing’.
The deadly clash on Monday night at Galwan Valley in Ladakh had left 20 soldiers dead on the Indian side. As many as 76 soldiers were injured. On the Chinese side, there are reports of casualties, but the numbers have not been declared.
After a clash with the enemy, the Army counts its men and those missing have to be accounted for.
So far, no official statement has been issued by the army or the government on the release of the soldiers.
The Army, however, said on Thursday that all Indian soldiers involved in the clashes with the Chinese army at the Galwan Valley had been “accounted for”. “It is clarified that there are no Indian troops missing in action,” the Army said in a statement.
Among the injured 18 were serious while 58 suffered minor injuries. Sources said 18 personnel were undergoing treatment at a hospital in Leh while 58 had been admitted to various other hospitals. They are expected to join back work in the next few days.
