How China Delayed Handover Of 10 Indian Soldiers

Over 50 wounded Indian troops were in Chinese custody. They returned after 24 hrs. However, 10 were not released for 3 days

- Abhishek Bhalla

In the dead of the night on June 15, after a fierce clash to hold on to territory in Ladakh, soldiers from the Indian and Chinese armies found themselves freely walking into each other’s claimed land to look for their wounded colleagues.

Both sides desperately tried to identify their soldiers in the darkness. By the next morning, Indians had handed over close to a dozen Chinese troops to China. According to some accounts, an injured Colonel, who was in Indian custody, was among those returned by India to the Chinese without any delay.

The Chinese, however, kept delaying sending back Indian soldiers.

It took the Chinese close to 24 hours to send back over 50 Indian soldiers who were on the other side of the LAC after they were wounded in violent clashes in Galwan Valley.

“Some had minor injuries...some were seriously wounded,” an Army source told India Today TV. However, not all the men were handed over to India by the Chinese army.

Ten Army soldiers, including four officers, were not returned to India by the Chinese, sources privy to the details said.