Around 40 Indian soldiers who were seriously injured in the violent face-off with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last month, had been moved for specialised treatment to Chandigarh and New Delhi ten days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ladakh on Friday.
Twenty soldiers were killed and over 70 soldiers were injured in the violent clash with Chinese troops on June 15.
Accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Modi during his day-long trip, visited the injured soldiers hospitalised in Leh and gave a short pep talk.
The visit, however, triggered a controversy because in the video released by TV channels, none of the soldiers appeared injured.
The soldiers were seen without any bruises or bandages, sitting on clean beds, arranged in rows, in a large conference room rather a hospital ward, triggering speculations among his critics and opposition parties that the visit was just a stage-managed political gimmick.
However, top sources in the army told IANS that the soldiers whom Modi met were the ones with less critical injuries.
They did not include those who were seriously wounded.
“Approximately 40 soldiers who had serious injuries were moved to Chandigarh and New Delhi for specialised treatment, just 10 days ago,” a top official source said. 
The critical patients had received ‘upper body’ injuries, especially those involving head, which needed special treatment that was not available in Ladakh, sources said.
The ones with less critical injuries have been treated and are recovering in Leh, the sources said.
“Besides, the prime minister met them almost 20 days after they were wounded. Most of them are in a very good recovery mode,” an official said.
Another source said the injuries below neck and above ankles were invisible because all soldiers were wearing full length and fully covered garments.
Military sources said that though the injured soldiers who have been shifted out, were critical, most of them will be able to recover and resume their duties soon.”Only in some cases, the recovery may be longer,” sources said.
The violent clash on June 15 was the most serious confrontation between the two militaries after their 1967 clashes in Nathu La in which over 300 Chinese army personnel were killed.
However, both countries remain engaged in talks at various established military level and through diplomatic channels as well.
India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is to meet his Chinese counterpart to resolve the crisis along the LAC in Ladakh.