Indian PM Increasingly Under Pressure As Soldiers Fall Of Conflict Victims With China

PM India Narendra Modi (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The pressure has increased on Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi regarding the incident of the death of 20 Indian soldiers due to the conflict with China. That pressure is just a bit of the crisis that is pervading Modi's leadership.

Apart from the 20 soldiers who died, many soldiers were injured, according to an official statement by the Indian army. From the Chinese side, the victims also fell. Even so, no figures have been released.

On Twitter, Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader in India's main opposition Congress Party, asked, "Why is the Prime Minister silent? Why is he hiding?"

"That's enough. We need to know what's going on," Gandhi said. "How dare China kill our soldiers? How dare they take our land?"

The incident is just the latest crisis for Modi. The PM has faced harsh criticism for his government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has infected more than 354,000 people in India and killed nearly 12,000. Many Indian states have extended lockdown rules as they struggle to contain the outbreak.

Modi has not publicly commented on the incident. However, his staff said that Modi had called for an all-party meeting on Friday, June 19 to discuss the situation in the India-China border region.

The bloody Sino-Indian conflict

On Monday evening, June 15, there was fighting along the border in the Himalayan region disputed by India and China. The two nuclear-armed nations have clashed, leaving officials on both sides scrambling to unleash attacks.

The incident took place during the ongoing "de-escalation process" in the Galwan Valley in the disputed Aksai Chin-Ladakh area, according to CNN. There were reports of a large Chinese troop buildup in the area that lasted for weeks.

In time, finally the senior Indian military commander started talks. The Indian army previously said three soldiers were killed. However, on Tuesday, June 16, authorities said 17 other soldiers had died.

"Soldiers critical of duty in dead-end locations and sub-zero temperatures in highland areas have surrendered to their (Chinese) forces," said a report from the Indian side.

The deaths are the first military casualties along the border between the two countries disputed for more than 40 years. According to a source from the Indian armed forces, the deadly fighting between Chinese and Indian troops began after Chinese troops set up tents in the disputed area.

The establishment of the tent by China came after India made a troop reduction. "On Monday 15 June, Chinese troops returned with reinforcements and attacked Indian forces. There was an intention to injure the Indian soldiers. They used stones, bamboo sticks with nails to attack Indian soldiers. Indian soldiers were not prepared for the attack," said the source.

Unforeseen circumstances put the Indian army at a stalemate. The stalemate lasted between four and five hours and by the time Indian reinforcements arrived, many of the soldiers had already lost their lives. So far China has not provided an official report on the incident.

"The death of soldiers in Galwan is very painful. Our soldiers show courage and are exemplary in carrying out their duties and sacrificing their lives in the highest traditions of the Indian Army," said Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Indian troops had violated the Chinese consensus and twice crossed the border for illegal activities. Zhao Lijian also said that Indian forces had provoked and attacked Chinese personnel causing serious physical conflict between the two sides.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) released a statement calling on the Indian army to immediately stop its "provocative actions". The PLA also urged India to resolve the issue through the right lines of dialogue and talks.