Six years after Galwan: A militarised LAC, a redefined relationship

📌 Summary:

• June 15, 2020 marked the Galwan (Ladakh) clash — the bloodiest India-China conflict since the 1962 war; India lost 20 soldiers, the PLA suffered heavily but officially claimed only four dead
• It shattered decades of confidence-building mechanisms and marked a new low in bilateral ties
• Galwan did not happen overnight: from early May 2020 the PLA undertook large-scale transgressions in Eastern Ladakh — in Chushul (Pangong Tso, Galwan-Gogra) and Depsang sectors — to unilaterally alter the Line of Actual Control (LAC)
• Six years on, the LAC remains heavily militarised and the relationship redefined

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 (Internal Security) / GS2 (IR) — border management along the LAC, India-China relations and confidence-building mechanisms.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Galwan Valley is in Eastern Ladakh
• LAC = Line of Actual Control, the de facto India-China border
• Friction points include Pangong Tso, Galwan-Gogra and Depsang

🔑 Key Term: Line of Actual Control (LAC) — the loosely demarcated de facto boundary separating Indian- and Chinese-controlled territory.