India already retaliated.
According to reports, the Chinese Army has suffered 35 casualties. Although this report could be contentious – the number could be higher or lower. There has been no official statement on this from the China side.
India lost her 20 soldiers.
It’s interesting to note that no bullet was fired in this latest event, as said by the Indian Army. So, it was likely hand-to-hand combat between both the sides, with reports also suggesting that rocks and clubs could have been used. Even then, however, it’s hard to believe that both India and China suffered such a big loss without any shot fired.
This was the biggest clash between the two armies in 45 years.
Earlier the news came that three Indian soldiers were killed by the Chinese troop in the Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh. Later, an official statement was released that 17 more Indian soldiers have died due to their injuries.
(Courtesy: The Hindu)
Both sides are blaming each other for the deadly confrontation.
“We are having communication through diplomatic and military channels. The right and wrong of this is very clear... The incident happened on the Chinese side of LAC and China is not to blame for it,” said Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson.
As for India, we already know where it stands. The news of Chinese troops entering India’s land and occupying it has been made sensationalized for quite some time now.
Coming to the latter part of your question, it’s unlikely that a full-blown war would take place between India and China.
(Courtesy: ThePrint)
Both countries know the repercussion a war can have on both economies, which are already struggling due to this pandemic.
There are might be small incidents here and there. However, the issues will inevitably be calmed through the diplomatic talks… And the media will move on to the next topic, usually Pakistan and Hindu-Muslim.
In all though, the situation between India and China is certainly stressing. We’re not going on war – but India stands in a precarious position both diplomatically and economically. How it handles this crisis can mark a big inflection point in how India is seen in the globalized world.
(Courtesy: The Indian Express)
P.S. Here are the names of 20 martyred Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in defending the country’s border:
1. IC-64405M Col Bikumalla Santosh Babu
2. JC-561645S Nb Sub Nuduram Soren
3. JC-280111M Nb Sub Mandeep Singh
4. JC-287210X Nb Sub (Dvr) Satnam Singh
5. No 15139118Y Hav (Gnr) K Palani
6. No 4282958N Hav Sunil Kumar
7. No 15681879N Hav Bipul Roy
8. No 15439373K NK (NA) Deepak Kumar
9. No 4295670M Sep Rajesh Orang
10 No 4292344Y Sep Kundan Kumar Ojha
11. No 4290532 Sep Ganesh Ram
12. No 4294060N Sep Chandrakanta Pradhan
13. No 2516847N Sep Ankush
14. No 2514989F Sep Gurbinder
15. No 2516683X Sep Gurtej Singh
16. No 4296728L Sep Chandan Kumar
17. No 42920679 Sep Kundan Kumar
18. No 4294713 K Sep Aman Kumar
19. No 4297756K Sep Jai Kishor Singh
20. No 4298139N Sep Ganesh Hansda
They are resting in peace now.
Sources: 1, 2, 3)
P.S.S. Beware of all the propaganda that is to come now. Politicians will use the martyrdom of our soldiers to appease voters and win elections. TV news channels will use our soldiers to get more TRPs. And online publications will use our soldiers to spin facts and create new narratives to mislead the viewers. Be aware!