Tibetan Soldier from India's Special Forces Killed in Clash with Chinese Troops

A Tibetan soldier in the Indian Army’s Special Frontier Force (SFF) was reportedly killed in the thick of fray that erupted between Indian and Chinese forces in the Chulshul Valley of Eastern Ladakh recently.

Both India and China accused each other of a transgression into their side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that night. Citing Indian Army sources, Indian media reported earlier that there were no physical clashes between soldiers of both sides in the intervening night of August 29-30.

Tibetan soldiers stationed at Thakung post, close to Pangong Tso flashpoint, reportedly intervened to prevent the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from building. Physical clashes followed that left dozens of Chinese soldiers injured, Tibet Sun reported September 1.

There is no official confirmation from both countries.

Further, the report alleged that one soldier was killed after being shot in the neck by Chinese troops while he was patrol duty, while another was left injured. Both the soldiers are from 7 VIKAS, one of the seven SFF battalions which have been moved to Ladakh and deployed against the Chinese. The SFF is an elite paratroop unit manned by volunteers from the 120,000-strong Tibetan refugee community in India.