Indian soldiers’ Galwan Valley sacrifice will not go in vain: Air Force chief

Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Friday said that the country will always strive towards maintaining peace and the “sacrifice” at Galwan Valley “will not go in vain”. The Indian Air Force chief was speaking at the combined graduation parade at the Air Force Academy near Hyderabad.

“The gallant actions in a highly-challenging situation have demonstrated our resolve to protect India’s sovereignty at any cost,” the Air Chief Marshal said on the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh on Monday. Twenty soldiers laid down their lives for India, even as media reports indicated that over 40 Chinese soldiers were also killed or injured.

“It should be very clear that we are well prepared and suitably deployed to respond to any contingency. I assure the nation that we are determined to deliver and will never let the sacrifice of the braves of Galwan go in vain,” Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said.

“The security scenario in our region mandates that our armed forces remain prepared and vigilant at all times. The development at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh is a small snapshot of what we are required to handle at a short notice,” he said.

“In spite of unacceptable Chinese action after agreements reached during military talks and resulting loss of lives, all efforts are underway to ensure that the current situation at LAC is resolved peacefully,” the Air Force chief added.