3 Indian soldiers martyred in clash with Chinese troops along LAC

The Indian army said on Tuesday one of its officers and two soldiers were martyred during a "violent faceoff" on the border with China on Monday.

"During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place on Monday night with casualties. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers," the Army said in a statement.

The Indian Army said "casualties suffered on both sides" in "violent face-off" during de-escalation process.

The army added that senior military officials from both sides were currently meeting to defuse the situation. The two sides have been locked in a standoff in the western Himalayas for weeks.

Meanwhile, China's foreign ministry when asked about Indian Army reporting casualties during the clash with its troops accused Indian troops of crossing the border and "attacking Chinese personnel", AFP added.

China's Global Times quoting the foreign minister said that "Indian troops on Monday seriously violated consensus of the two sides by illegally crossing the border twice and carrying out provocative attacks on Chinese soldiers, resulting in serious physical clashes"

"China has lodged solemn representations with the Indian side and urged it to strictly restrain its frontline troops from crossing the border or taking any unilateral action that may complicate the border situation," the Global Times quoted the foreign minister as saying.

"China and India agreed to resolve the bilateral issues through dialogue to ease the border situation and maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas," the Global Times quoted the Chinese foreign minister as saying.

Amid the rising tensions, India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat, the three service chiefs and external affairs minister S Jaishankar in which the developments in eastern Ladakh were discussed.