Blunt injury marks on Col Santosh Babu’s head; 2 died of drowning

SRINAGAR: Colonel Santosh Babu’s head has blunt injury marks, while the two soldiers with him in the Galwan Valley died of drowning, according to preliminary reports prepared by the SNM hospital in Leh, where autopsies were conducted on Wednesday.

The autopsies of 17 other soldiers were being conducted till late in the evening and reports were not known yet. According to sources, four soldiers with grievous injuries were undergoing treatment at the same hospital.

“Twenty other soldiers injured in Galwan clashes are being treated at the Army hospital as well,” a senior official told ET.


“Some soldiers died of minor injuries. It seems that they didn’t get help in time. Some of them have marks around the neck as well. Drowning is the cause of dying in some cases,” a senior official privy to the details, told ET. “The death toll is likely to go up as some soldiers have received serious injuries,” the official said.

After laying wreaths, the Army dispatched the bodies of colonel Babu and two others to their native places. Meanwhile, movement of troops on Srinagar-Sonamarg-Leh highway continued on Wednesday. However authorities didn’t allow journalists to cross Sonamarg in Kashmir.