The Galwan is one of the many Himalayan rivers. A narrow mountain stream, in some places almost a brook, in others a turbulent, seething mass of icy water foaming on the rocks. The river, which few people knew about except geographers, diplomats and military personnel – staff officers in Delhi and Srinagar and ordinary soldiers who regularly patrolled the disputed territory of the Line of Actual Control between India and China – suddenly became the talk of the town in June 2020.

Then, literally a couple of months after the announcement of a strict nationwide quarantine in India and China because of the Covid-19 pandemic, a not uncommon skirmish between patrols took place on its banks. Indian and Chinese soldiers patrol without live ammunition, in accordance with a 1996 agreement, and such episodes usually end with a dozen bruises and bumps and a few broken bones. But not this time: as far as we know, one of the newly appointed Chinese commanders responsible for this area decided to demonstrate to the Indians and his superiors his uncompromising nature, initiative and tactical talents.

The Indian military was not going to back down: just recently, Chief of Defense Staff Bipin Rawat said that it was necessary to review the priorities and structure of military spending, threatening to freeze the program to build a third aircraft carrier for the navy and the contract to buy 110 fighters from Israel. The army had an opportunity to clearly demonstrate that its spending should not be cut.

The outcome of the clash in the Galwan Valley shocked India. Twenty people were killed, and neither side used firearms – the injuries sustained from falling off a cliff at night, the fast flow of an icy river and the lack of medical care were enough. The Chinese reported four of their own killed, while Indian media later accused the Chinese of concealing losses and wrote about 40 dead PLA soldiers.

In one way or another, Indian society, already frustrated by the strict lockdown and frightened by reports from Covid-19 hospitals, demanded a tough response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, and the Indian authorities were forced to meet voters halfway. Everything that Modi and........

© RT.com