By: Annie Priya
September 4 2020
Indian troops were carrying firearms at the Galwan patrol point, but the then protocol did not permit them to use it.
Indian troops were carrying firearms at the Galwan patrol point, but the then protocol did not permit them to use it.Rahul Gandhi raised a question on who was responsible for sending Indian soldiers unarmed to fight the Chinese soldiers at Galwan valley that killed 20 Indian soldiers. Responding to the charge, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar clarified that all Indian troops on border duty always carry arms, especially when leaving their respective posts for patrolling purposes, and those at Galwan on June 15 did so. He said that as per provisions of the bilateral agreement, neither side was supposed to use firearms and open fire within 2 km of the LAC. Moreover, it was a long-standing practice not to use firearms during faceoffs. The last armed conflict at the LAC was in 1967 and the no firearm use policy has been in place ever since.