(AFP): Fresh clashes erupted between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Sikkim, leaving injuries on both sides, military sources and media reports said on Monday, barely six months after a deadly clash in the Himalayas.
According to an international news agency, the incident happened last week at the Naku La pass in Sikkim state. Media reports quoted Indian military officials as saying there were casualties on both sides.
Officials informed that the confrontation took place after a Chinese patrol tried to cross into India’s territory along the de facto border and was forced back. Soldiers from both sides were reportedly injured in the brawl. The situation was under control by Monday.
The reports came after Indian and Chinese military commanders held the ninth round of talks on Sunday to address the ongoing border standoff between the two countries in eastern Ladakh.
In June, troops from the two sides fought with fists and wooden clubs in the Galwan valley of Ladakh region, resulting in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops.
China and India, who fought a border war in 1962, blamed each other for the dispute and each has poured tens of thousands of extra troops into border zones.
In the last Corps Commander-level talks held in November, the two sides had agreed to ensure that their troops exercise restraint and avoid any misunderstanding and miscalculation along the Line of Actual Control.
Meanwhile, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that India will not reduce the deployment of troops along the Line of Actual Control till China starts the process.
