Senior military officials of the two sides met in the area to defuse the situation, the Indian Army said in an official statement

An Indian Army officer and two soldiers have been killed in a violent face-off on Monday night during the de-escalation process that is underway in the Galwan Valley in the eastern Ladakh region.

“During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place yesterday night with casualties on both sides. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers.

As per various media reports, the soldiers were not shot but were killed in a physical fight that involved stones and batons. Since 1975, this is the first violent incident between Indian and Chinese troops.

Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation,” the Indian Army said in an official statement on Tuesday.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the current operational situation in eastern Ladakh, along with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the three service chiefs. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was present, an official statement said.

According to unofficial reports, the clash between Indian and Chinese troops took place near Patrolling Point 14, at the mouth of the Galwan Valley.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, during a regular press briefing on Tuesday urged India to strictly “restrain its frontline troops according to the consensus, and not cross the borderline and make any unilateral movement that could complicate the border situation.”

On June 6, Indian Army’s 14 Corps Commander Lt General Harinder Singh and South Xinjiang Military District Commander Major General Liu Lin had held a meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border for nearly three hours.

The Ministry of External Affairs had later said that both India and China had agreed for an early resolution of the issue in keeping with broader guidance provided by leaders of the two countries for ensuring peace and tranquility on the border areas.

“A meeting was held between core commanders of India and China on June 6. This meeting was in continuation of our diplomatic and military engagement which both sides maintained in order to address the situation in areas along the India-China border,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on June 11.