New Delhi: Army Chief Gen M M Naravane on Wednesday awarded 'Commendation Cards' to five Indian Army soldiers for displaying exemplary grit and courage in dealing with Chinese troops in two separate clashes in Pangong lake and Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, official sources said.
The soldiers were conferred the award at a forward location in eastern Ladakh.
Gen Naravane is on a two-day visit to Ladakh to take stock of the military preparedness in the wake of escalating tension with China following last week's Galwan Valley clashes that left 20 Indian Army personnel dead and 76 injured.
Five soldiers were awarded 'Commendation Cards' by the Chief of Army Staff for valiantly fighting the Chinese troops during the clashes in Pangong lake area and Galwan Valley, the sources said.
The commendation badges were pinned by the Army chief on the soldiers involved in the June 15 incident at the Galwan Valley as well as in the face-off in Pangong lake area on May 5.
The sources said the Army Chief personally complimented each of the soldiers for their bravery and exemplary grit. The Army has not provided any details of the five soldiers or about their units.
Also read: India, China holding diplomatic talks to ease border tension
The sources said that majority of the soldiers awarded showed "great courage" in punishing the Chinese troops during the Galwan Valley clash for their brutal attack on Indian soldiers.
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 on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control in Galwan.
In the clashes in Pangong Tso, the Indian troops had put up a stiff fight in dealing with the Chinese troops.
The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after the Pangong Tso face-off involving around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim on May 9.
"Whenever the Chief of the Army Staff visits formations or units, it is a norm to award Commendation Cards to personnel who exhibit exceptional devotion to duty. In the instant case also, personnel have been awarded for devotion to duty," said a source.
On the second day of his visit to Ladakh, Gen Naravane on Wednesday took stock of the Army's combat preparedness in four forward areas and interacted with soldiers deployed there.
Also read: Sikkim Police Force moves to India-China border amid faceoff
The Army Chief's visit to the region came in the midst of China rapidly increasing number of troops and weaponry along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the eastern Ladakh region including in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and Gogra Hot Spring.
The Army Chief reviewed the overall security situation in the region with Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Yogesh Kumar Joshi, commander of the 14 Corps Lt Gen Harinder Singh and other senior Army officials on both Tuesday and Wednesday, the sources said.
PTI
