Galwan martyrs' names to be inscribed on War Memorial

New Delhi: The names of 20 Indian Army personnel, who were killed after valiantly fighting Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15, will be inscribed on the National War Memorial here, officials said on Thursday. They said the process for inscribing the names of the Army personnel on the memorial may take a few months.

Chinese and Indian troops clashed in Galwan Valley for several hours on the night of June 15 in their deadliest brawl in the last five decades. Colonel B Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment ailing from Telangana, was among the Indian Army personnel killed in the clash.

The Chinese soldiers used stones, nail-studded sticks, iron rods and clubs in carrying out brutal attacks on Indian soldiers after they protested the erection of a surveillance post by China around patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley.

China has not disclosed the number of casualties its troops suffered. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.Last month, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane awarded 'Commendation Cards' to five soldiers for their bravery in dealing with Chinese troops during the Galwan Valley clash.

The incident significantly escalated the border tension in eastern Ladakh with India calling it "a premeditated and planned action by China".