New Delhi: India on Thursday announced that the in-charge of the Indian Embassy in Beijing will not attend the opening or closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in the Chinese capital to honor a military commander involved in the Galwan Valley conflict as the Olympic torch bearer. Will be
Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi termed China’s move to honor the military commander in this way as regrettable. In a weekly press briefing, Bagchi said the in-charge of the Indian embassy in Beijing would not attend the opening or closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
When asked about China felicitating PLA’s Galwan Valley Commander with the Winter Olympic torch, the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said, “We have seen reports on the issue.” It is a pity that China chose to politicize an event like the Olympics. ,
Significantly, on 15 June 2020, the regiment commander of the People’s Liberation Army, who was involved in the conflict in Galvan Valley, has been chosen as the torch bearer of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The border dispute in eastern Ladakh escalated after the conflict in the Galwan Valley on 15 June 2020. In this struggle 20 soldiers of the Indian Army were martyred. In February last year, China officially acknowledged that five of its military officers and soldiers were martyred.
Prasar Bharati will also not broadcast
Prasar Bharati has also refused to broadcast the Winter Olympics after the boycott by the Ministry of External Affairs. Prasar Bharati President Shashi Shekhar Vempati said, “The Ministry of External Affairs will not live telecast the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Beijing on DD Sports channel as a result of the announcement by India.”