Ten Indian Army Jawans Held Captive by Chinese Forces, Released After Three-Day

All the ten Indian Army Jawans that were held captive by Chinese forces during the skirmishes at Galwan on Monday evening have been released on Thursday. The released soldiers however reached their base by Thursday evening.

A three-day ordeal of those Army personnel ended after hectic negotiations by both sides at the Major General level. Those captured included four officers. They walked back on Thursday evening after the third round of talks led to a breakthrough. Sources said that over the past days, details of the missing soldiers were shared by the Chinese side and India.

The detail information regarding entire activities is yet to come-forth, but sources said that the soldiers had been taken captive during the skirmish after troops from the 16 Bihar regiment had been overwhelmed at Patrol Point 14 by a larger Chinese force. While 20 soldiers, including the Commanding Officer of the unit died in the incident, at least 76 others were injured but are now out of danger.

That China chooses to retain the ten in custody for three days was seen as a sign of escalation, given the past where such incidents are dealt with much faster. In a standoff at Chumar in 2013 for example, a Chinese officer who fell down a cliff was located and rescued by the Indian Army, after the Chinese patrol could not find him.

In the incident, the Chinese officer was given medical treatment overnight and returned back the next morning. This is in sharp contrast to the Galwan incident where Indian soldiers were not just kept captive for three days but their photographs were also displayed during the three Maj Gen level meetings it required to secure the release. Though no official statement was made on the captive soldiers, the Indian Army on Thursday said that all its soldiers are accounted for and that no one can be termed as `Missing in Action’.