LAC Standoff: 10 Soldiers In Chinese Custody Returned To India

New Delhi: Ten Indian soldiers in China’s custody were returned to India at the LAC on Thursday night following several rounds of negotiations between the two sides.

These Army personnel, including four officers, were involved in Monday’s violent face-off in the Galwan valley which resulted in 20 Indians being martyred and 76 others being injured.

Their release was secured following three rounds of talks at the Major General level from Tuesday to Thursday, The Indian Express has reported. All 10 soldiers were medically examined and provided a preliminary debriefing.

The Army issued a statement confirming that no soldier was missing, without mentioning details of those who were in Chinese custody.

This was the first time after the 1962 Sino-India War that Indian soldiers had been taken into custody by the Chinese army.

As part of de-escalation process, both sides had agreed to create a ‘buffer zone’, a no-man’s land between the LAC and junction of Galwan and Shyok rivers. Indians were supposed to be at the west of the river junction and the Chinese to the east of the LAC.

But an argument started over the position of Chinese soldiers, who were erecting a new post in the buffer zone. That triggered the skirmish which led to loss of lives.