BENGALURU: The attack on Indian troops was "premeditated and well organised by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). It was a rogue attack," said Lt Gen Abhay Krishna (Retd). India lost 20 soldiers including Col B Santosh Babu, Commanding Officer, 16 Bihar Battalion.
"They were killed in a pre-planned action perpetuated by PLA through a devious plan betraying the trust and faith that India had always reposed in discussions with the neighbouring country," he added.
"As per the disengagement plan, which was decided on June 6 during the Corps commander level meeting held near Chushul, the PLA troops were to fall back to Post One, which was 5 km to the East PP-14. On Monday the Indian troopers were waiting since morning to ensure that the Chinese had retreated to the agreed position," the former General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command, who had successfully headed India’s military response during the Doklam standoff in 2017 said.
"Late evening, they spotted a tent at the spur, where the former was stationed earlier. That is when some of our men trekked up the spur at night to dismantle the tent. The terrain is very hostile with freezing temperatures. As soon as they reached the spur they were ambushed and assaulted by the Chinese troopers by rods, stones and barbed wires. It was a pre-planned attack on our men by the Chinese. Being hit with stones, some of them lost balance and reportedly slipped in the ravine and into the freezing waters of the Galwan river,," he said.
He said that in their bid to present themselves as a rising power, the Chinese have perhaps "misjudged India as a weak country because of our cultured and well-mannered approach adopted over several decades towards resolving any dispute with them. It is time now that they are given a taste of defeat and pain in all domains to include tactical, technological, financial, economic, cultural and cyber fields. This is not India of 1962".
"On Tuesday morning their state run media – ‘The Global Times’ – started spreading blatant lies that the Indian army had come close to PLA camp which resulted in this unwarranted scuffle leading to loss of life on both sides without gunfire. This was played out to the world even before the news of the clashes were made known in India. By accusing India for being the aggressor this time, China very cleverly contained building of sentiments within India, parallel with what happened during Pulwama and Balakot incidents, when people demanded severe action against Pakistan," he said. He said unlike China, India has never raised any additional territorial claim.
"It is possible that India’s move to connect with Daulat Beg Oldie through land route has raised China’s ante against India’s emerging position in the Eastern Himalayas, which poses a challenge to their interests in Aksai Chin especially with regards to their Western Highway passing through it and India’s option of taking away Gilgit Baltistan in the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir".