Brave martyrs of Galwan Valley clash to be honoured at Republic Day parade

New Delhi, Jan 11: Colonel B Santosh Babu of the 16 Bihar battalion and five Indian Army soldiers who fought the Chinese bravely at the Galwan Valley will be honoured posthumously with gallantry medals on Republic Day.

The Indian troops had retaliated bravely when the Chinese troops refused to withdraw from a location near Patrolling Point 14. In the Galwan Valley clash, 20 Indian soldiers had laid down their lives, but had inflicted severe casualties on the Chinese troops.

The Chinese have remained tight lipped about the casualties, but report suggest that over 30 Chinese troops involved in the clash had either died or gone missing.

The Defence Ministry has not made any official announcement on the medals, but sources tell OneIndia that two officers and three soldiers who fought the Chinese will be honoured.

The Republic Day this year will be of shorter duration. The marching contingent will be smaller and the cultural performances will be fewer.

The number of spectators too be reduced at Rajpath on January 26. The overall traditional character of the parade would however be maintained despite the restrictions. A contingent of the Bangladesh armed forces will take part in the parade in view of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the 1971 war of liberation.

The parade will begin from Vijay Chowk. However this year it would culminate at the National Stadium instead of ending at the Red Fort. This means that the parade which normally covers 8.2 kilometres will only 3.3 kilometres this year.

Around 25,000 spectators will be allowed to witness the parade as compared to the average of 1.3 lakh people every year. There would be no permit for elders with Co-morbidities and children below the age of 15.