China denies funerals for soldiers killed in Galwan clash

It seems China is not willing to recognise the ultimate sacrifice made by its soldiers for the country as the government is pressuring the families of soldiers who died in Galwan face-off to not conduct burials and in-person funeral ceremonies, according to a United States intelligence assessment.

The Indian and Chinese armies were locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for over eight weeks since May 5.

The tension escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details.

According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.

Even after the one month of the incident, China has still not disclosed how many of its soldiers were killed in the incident.

The grieving Chinese families who have lost their loved ones in the clash are being mistreated by the Chinese government.

According to the US intelligence assessment, China is not accepting that its soldiers have been killed in the showdown in order to cover up an episode that Beijing appears to consider a blunder, reported the US News.

Tensions had escalated in eastern Ladakh around two months back after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on May 5 and 6.

The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim on May 9.

The violent face-off occurred after China attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during de-escalation in eastern Ladakh.

India has said that the situation could have been avoided if the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side.

The Chinese government has acknowledged the deaths of only a few officers so far.

The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs has told families of those who died in the Galwan Valley clash that they must forgo traditional burial ceremonies and cremate the soldiers' remains and that any funeral services should be conducted remotely, not in person, a source familiar with the assessment told U.S. News.

Though the government has used the threat posed by the spread of the coronavirus as a pretext, the assessment concludes that the new rules are a part of a deliberate effort by Beijing to undermine public awareness and erase any enduring reminders of the violent clash.

This decision of the Chinese Communist Party has upset Chinese families who lost their loved ones in the incident, US-based Breitbart News had reported.

According to Breitbart, the Chinese government is struggling to silence the families of soldiers who are using Weibo and other platforms to vent their anger and frustration.

China reportedly fears that images of gravestones for its fallen soldiers of the People's Liberation Army, or PLA, could further stoke those sentiments if spread on Chinese or international social media.

"The reality is they don't want to create martyr soldiers," says the source, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive material. "So they have banned functions where friends and families can pay their respects for the PLA deceased."