20 Galwan heroes’ names inscribed on national war memorial

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ The names of 20 Indian Army personnel, who were killed while valiantly fighting Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June last year, were inscribed on the National War Memorial ahead of the Republic Day, official sources said.

Col B Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment, was among the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the fierce hand-to-hand combat on June 15, an incident that marked one of the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades. China is yet to disclose the number of its soldiers killed and injured in the clash though it officially admitted to having suffered casualties.

According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35 The Galwan Valley clash had escalated the border row in eastern Ladakh and resulted in a large deployment of troops and heavy weaponry by both the armies at the friction points. “The names of the Galwan heroes have been inscribed at the National War Memorial,” said a source. Some of these soldiers are also likely to be honoured with gallantry awards on the Republic Day.