The Inside Story Of Ladakh Face-Off

Three brawls, outside Chinese troops & more: Most detailed account of Galwan showdown

- Shiv Aroor and Manjeet Singh Negi

Three separate brawls divided by time and space. Chinese troops who aren't normally deployed at Patrol Point 14. And, a young Indian Army team that took a decision to cross the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to square things up with the Chinese Army. The contours of the June 15 bloodletting have become cleared.

With a series of conversations with Army personnel in the Galwan Valley, Thangtse and Leh, India Today TV pieces together the most detailed account so far of how things played out.

The context is well known. Ten days prior, Lieutenant Generallevel talks had taken place and disengagement between both sides had begun at Patrol Point 14, since both had mobilised very close to LAC.

A Chinese observation post, which had been set up at the vertex of the bend in the Galwan River was proven, during talks, to be on the Indian side of the LAC, and an agreement had been reached to remove it. A few days after talks, the post was dismantled by the Chinese. Commanding Officer of the 16 Bihar infantry battalion controlling the area Colonel B Santosh Babu even held talks with a counterpart Chinese officer on the day after the Chinese dismantled the camp.

But on June 14, the camp unexpectedly re-emerged overnight.

AT 5pm on June 15, Colonel Babu decided to personally lead a team to the camp. While young officers and jawans were raring to remove the Chinese post themselves, Colonel Babu, decided to personally go.

At 7pm, Colonel Babu along with a team of about 35 men, including two Majors, proceeded on foot to the post. When they reached the Chinese camp, the first thing the Indian team noticed was that the Chinese troops didn't seem familiar they weren't the PLA troops normally deployed in the area.