Indians protest over border tension with China

Indians protest over border tension with China

India impatiently awaited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response on Wednesday to the death of at least 20 soldiers in a border clash with Chinese troops.

Libby Hogan reports.

Angry protesters in India burned images of Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday (June 17) in the eastern city of Patna and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh and some called for a boycott of Chinese products.

The protests come after 20 Indian soldiers were killed on Monday in clashes with Chinese troops in the western Himalayas.

India's army announced the news Tuesday (June 16) and said the clashes took place in Galwan Valley marking a major escalation after a weeks-long standoff between the two Asian giants.

Parents of an Indian officer killed in clashes with Chinese troops said they were in shock upon hearing about the death of their son.

"Since yesterday we are under deep shock on hearing from my son's misfortune.

(I) Never expected because it is not new to him for working in such difficult places." China said on Wednesday it does not want to see any more violence on the border and its foreign ministry reiterated that it is not to blame for the clash.

On Monday the ministry confirmed there had been a quote "violent physical confrontation" in the border area, but it made no mention of casualties.

That's despite India's foreign ministry stating there were casualties on both sides.

No shots were fired, but the troops had fought with iron rods and stones, said an Indian government source.

The deaths were the first since the last major border clash in 1967 between the nuclear-armed neighbors, also the world's two most populous countries - which have been unable to settle the dispute along their lengthy frontier.