New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called an all-party meeting on Friday to discuss the situation at the India-China border after clashes in Ladakh in which 20 Indian soldiers laid down their lives. Presidents of various political parties will participate in the meeting at 5 pm on Friday via video, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Army sources have told NDTV that up to 45 Chinese soldiers have been killed or injured in the fight at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. There were “casualties on both sides”.

After confirming the death of three soldiers, including a Colonel, on Tuesday morning, the army added that 17 more critically injured soldiers were “exposed to sub-zero temperatures” and died of their injuries.

The army has said Indian and Chinese troops “have disengaged” in the area. China also said Wednesday it wanted to avoid more clashes. “We of course don’t wish to see more clashes,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press conference, while urging India to avoid “provocative gestures” that could complicate the border situation.

In order to discuss the situation in the India-China border areas, Prime Minister @narendramodi has called for an all-party meeting at 5 PM on 19th June. Presidents of various political parties would take part in this virtual meeting.

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 17, 2020

Monday’s clash, a severe escalation after weeks of tension along the border with China, erupted when a small Indian patrol party moved to remove a Chinese tent in the Galwan river valley at 15,000 feet. China had agreed to remove the tent after talks between Lieutenant General-ranked officers of both sides on June 6.

The incident involved no shooting but “violent hand-to-hand scuffles”. The soldiers threw punches and stones at each other and the Chinese troops allegedly used rods and nail-studded clubs during the fight that lasted for hours until midnight on Monday, according to reports.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on PM Modi in a tweet this morning, questioning why he hadn’t spoken on the huge incident till now. “Why is the PM silent? Why is he hiding? Enough is enough. We need to know what has happened. How dare China kill our soldiers? How dare they take our land?” Mr Gandhi had tweeted. He also posted a video paying tribute to the Indian soldiers who died in the line of duty and asked PM Modi to “come out” and “tell the truth”.

While the Congress has been the loudest in its attacks, other parties like Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress and Janata Dal Secular have also targeted the government.

“When will  China get a strong reply? 20 soldiers were killed without a shot being fired. What have we done,” tweeted Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra wondered whether it would be anti-national to seek answers from the government. “Incredible how BJP won 2019 by tom-tomming ‘surgical strikes’ of which we never saw any actual proof and now that 20 real faces of our dead soldiers stare at us, the PM is silent,” Ms Moitra tweeted.

India blamed the clashes on “an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo there”, rebutting China’s claims that Indian soldiers crossed the border.