India / ITBP jawans celebrate I-Day at altitude of 14,000 feet in Ladakh

Ladakh: The soldiers of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) celebrated the country’s Independence Day on the banks of Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh at 14,000 feet. The soldiers carried the tricolour of ITBP flags part of the celebrations.

The ITBP also released a mashup of the popular patriotic songs sung by its soldiers. The mashup has been released by ITBP on its social media handles.

The force has recommended the names of its 21 personnel for gallantry medals for fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with the army in keeping the Chinese troops at bay amid the border standoff between the two countries over the last three months in Ladakh.

भारत माता की जय!
वन्दे मातरम!

ITBP troops celebrating Independence Day 2020 on the banks of Pangong Tso in Ladakh.#IndependenceDayIndia #IndependenceDay2020 pic.twitter.com/TYj8JyYxvd

— ITBP (@ITBP_official) August 15, 2020

Senior officials said on the condition of anonymity said that these incidents of face-off did not happen in the Galwan Valley but at half a dozen other places in eastern Ladakh.

It further said that the soldiers were engaged in stand-offs, sometimes as long as 17 to 20 hours, but received minimum casualties and gave befitting reply to the stone palters of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The paramilitary force, which is responsible for guarding the 3,488-km de facto border between the two countries, or the Line of Actual Control (LAC), said its 294 personnel have been awarded the commendation disk of the ITBP’s director-general for their bravery in Ladakh.

Six other soldiers of ITBP have been awarded for their courage in anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh.

A Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), the ITBP is deployed at the difficult high altitude Himalayan terrains.