It was perhaps a bitter small that five soldiers of the Indian Army, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and four jawans, died tragically in a mishap during a river-crossing exercise carried out in the Daulat Beg Oldie sector of eastern Ladakh, close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
The event occurred while the soldiers carried out a training exercise in a T-72 tank involving crossing a river. Despite this, an increase in the water levels led to the submerging of the tank, resulting in the unnecessary loss of lives.
Defense officials informed about the tragedy: ‘Five Indian Army soldiers, including Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and four Jawans, drowned during a mishap that occurred while the military personnel was practicing a river crossing exercise in the Daulat Beg Oldie region last evening. The defense officials also added, ‘’All five soldiers bodies have been recovered;
Leaders and the public have condemned the incident, calling it a great loss to the nation, and have vowed to support the families of the victims. The Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge condoled the death of the soldiers.
It, however, occurred when other regions of Ladakh and its neighboring Himachal Pradesh have reported rains that have occasioned landslides and other associated problems. The innocent loss of lives is alarming and reminds people of the difficulties of military forces during the fulfillment of their missions.
