"If you know the enemy, and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles."
-Sun Tzu
When we recall the indomitable spirit, bravery, and supreme sacrifice of the Indian Army soldiers on the icy heights of Ladakh's Galwan Valley, that fateful night in June 2020, the question does crop up: How did this happen? More importantly, how did we allow this to happen?
It was the night of 15 June 2020 when the Chinese carried out an unprovoked attack on Indian soldiers with iron rods and studded clubs, resulting in the death of 20 brave Indian soldiers, including the Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar Regiment, Colonel B Santosh Babu.
Earlier that month, tension was already mounting at Galwan. Senior Commanders of the two sides held a meeting on 6 June and agreed on a process of disengagement that involved reciprocal actions. Both sides also agreed to respect and abide by the LAC and not undertake any activity to alter the status quo.
On 14 June, an Indian Army detachment of about 50 soldiers, led by Colonel Babu reached near patrolling point 14. Their purpose was to confirm if the Chinese had indeed withdrawn from the location as per the de-escalation plan agreed upon between Indian and Chinese officers.
However, the Indian detachment discovered that the Chinese were very much there. When the Chinese were confronted, they were adamant and refused to vacate their positions. At this point, the Indians were in larger strength than the Chinese, and they started to remove the Chinese physically. However, suddenly a large number of Chinese reinforcements arrived, and the Indians found themselves on the back foot.
It appeared that the Chinese were waiting for a chance to start a physical brawl, and as it turned out, they were totally prepared for it. What ensued was one of the most horrific and gruesome military encounters in modern times, fought with medieval age weapons. The hand-to-hand fighting between the Indian and Chinese troops broke out at around 7 pm, and continued for several hours in pitch-dark conditions.