Any weakness on our part makes Chinese reaction more belligerent: Amarinder

It is time now for the Centre to take some stringent measures as each sign of weakness makes the Chinese reaction more "belligerent", Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Tuesday.

His remarks came after an Army officer and two soldiers were killed in a violent confrontation with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley on Monday.

"The happening in the Galwan Valley is a continuation of violations by China. It is time now that the country stands up to these incursions. Our soldiers are not fair game that every few days officers and men are being killed and injured defending our borders," Singh tweeted.

"It is time now for the government of India to take some stringent measures. Each sign of weakness on our part makes the Chinese reaction more belligerent. I join the nation in paying tribute to our brave martyrs. The nation stands with you in your hour of grief," he said.

The Army said India lost an officer and two soldiers during the violent face-off, while there were casualties on the Chinese side as well.

The extent of casualties on the Chinese side is not immediately clear.

According to a senior military officer, it is the first incident involving the casualty of an Indian soldier in a violent clash with the Chinese Army after 1975 when four Indian soldiers were killed in an ambush at Tulung La in Arunachal Pradesh along the de-facto border between the two countries.

Official sources said there was no firing between the two sides.

On June 5, too, the chief minister had urged the Centre to take a tough stand on the continuing border stand-off with China if the neighbouring country was not responding to diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.