New Delhi: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has recommended the names of 21 of its troops for gallantry medals for their courage and bravery while facing the Chinese in skirmishes earlier this year in May-June.
The recommendations for awarding gallantry medals to 21 troops posted in Ladakh have been sent to the government.
Apart from the 21 gallantry medal recommendations, ITBP Director General SS Deswal also awarded 294 personnel with the DG's commendation rolls and insignias.
its first official account of the standoff between the two militaries, the ITBP said that its troops not only effectively used the shield to protect themselves, but also responded fiercely to the advancing troops of the Chinese PLA, and brought the situation under control.
"With the highest order of professional skills, ITBP troops fought shoulder to shoulder and also brought the injured Indian Army troops to the rear," the statement said.
The ITBP said that even though its troops fought the whole night, they received minimum casualties by giving a befitting reply to the stone pelters of the PLA. "At places, they gave determined standoff about 17 to 20 hours throughout the intervening nights," it said.
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"Due to the high altitude training and manoeuvre experience of the force in the Himalayas deployments, the ITBP troops kept the PLA troops at bay and due to the all-out and befitting response of ITBP jawans at almost all fronts, many areas were safeguarded in the hypersensitive areas," it added.
Meanwhile, another six ITBP personnel have been awarded for their courage in Anti Naxal Operations in Chhattisgarh.
Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in a violent faceoff with the Chinese troops in the eastern Ladakh area on the intervening night of June 15-16.
While China has accepted that it also suffered causalities during these clashes, it has not given out exact numbers.
The force has also recommended the names of 318 ITBP personnel and 40 other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel for the Union Home Minister's Special Operation Medals for their dedicated services in the fight against COVID-19.
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The ITBP said that it has been in the forefront of the Covid-19 battle since January, when it had established the biggest quarantine facility in Chhawla Camp for evacuees from Wuhan and Italy.
The force is operating over 10,000 -bedded COVID-19 Sardar Patel hospital, the country's largest facility, at the Radha Soami Beas in Delhi’s Chhattarpur that opened on July 5.
It also set up the first coronavirus quarantine facility in the Chhawla area of Delhi in January, besides running the Central Armed Police Forces Referral hospital in Greater Noida.
The about 90,000-personnel strong ITBP is the primarily tasked to guard the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China that runs from the Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh.
(With inputs from PTI)
