Galwan - Medieval Combat at 14,000 Feet

Colonel Santosh Babu and 16 Bihar Regiment

On the night of June 15, 2020, Chinese troops ambushed an Indian patrol in Galwan Valley. What followed was medieval warfare at 14,000 feet - no guns fired, just stones, iron rods, and fists. Colonel Santosh Babu led his men into the clash and died fighting. 20 Indian soldiers fell but inflicted heavy casualties on the Chinese.

The Treachery at Galwan

The evening of June 15, 2020, began like any other in the desolate Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh. At 14,000 feet above sea level, where temperatures drop below freezing even in summer and oxygen is scarce, Indian soldiers maintained their vigil at Patrolling Point 14.

A few days earlier, during corps commander-level talks, both sides had agreed to disengage from the friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Colonel Bikumalla Santosh Babu, commanding officer of 16 Bihar Regiment, led a patrol to verify that the Chinese had dismantled their tent at PP14 as agreed.

What happened next would shock the world.

The Ambush

As Colonel Santosh Babu's patrol approached the site around 6 PM, they found not an empty tent, but Chinese soldiers returning to re-erect their structure - a direct violation of the agreement reached just days before. The Colonel confronted the Chinese officer.

What followed was a planned ambush. Hidden in the ridges above, hundreds of Chinese soldiers - estimates range from 300 to 600 - had been lying in wait. As Colonel Santosh Babu argued with the Chinese, they attacked.

But this was no ordinary battle. Due to protocols established after the 1996 and 2013 agreements, soldiers on both sides did not carry firearms to patrol meetings. What ensued was medieval combat - fought with stones, iron rods wrapped in barbed wire, nail-studded clubs, and bare fists.

Colonel Santosh Babu - The Warrior

Colonel Bikumalla Santosh Babu was a third-generation Army officer from Suryapet, Telangana. His grandfather served in the Nizam's army, his father was a Colonel in the Indian Army. Soldiering was in his blood.

Commissioned into 16 Bihar Regiment in 2004, Santosh Babu had served in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir and the Northeast. Known for his physical fitness and leadership, he had won multiple commendations. His men called him "Sahab" with respect and affection.