Chinese, Indian troops exchange blows along Sikkim border

Several soldiers were injured when hundreds of Chinese and Indian troops reportedly exchanged blows along Nakula border in the north eastern Indian state of Sikkim.

“Four Indian soldiers and seven Chinese troops suffered injuries during the confrontation that involved around 150 soldiers,” said one Indian military officer on condition of anonymity.

The aggressive confrontation between the troops happened near the Naku La sector, a pass at a height of more than 5,000 metres.

Sources in the Indian government said: “Temporary and short duration face-offs between border guarding troops do occur as boundaries are not resolved.

“Aggressive behaviour by the two sides resulted in minor injuries to troops.

"The two sides disengaged after dialogue and interaction at local level."

India and China share a border that is almost 4000km long, which has many unresolved boundary issues.

This is not the first time Indian and Chinese soldiers have exchanged blows along the border.

In August 2017, Indian and Chinese soldiers threw stones at each other and also exchanged blows near Pangong Lake in Ladakh, close to the de facto border between the two countries.

The incident took place after Indian soldiers patrolling the area did not heed to objection to their presence in the area by Chinese troops.

After the scuffle, both sides called for reinforcements. However, the face-off ended following a delegation-level talks between the two sides.

The clash near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) aggravated bilateral tensions as it happened at a time when the two neighbours saw their soldiers began confronting each other at the Doklam plateau where India, China and Bhutan meet.

India had sent its troops to stop China building a road in the remote, uninhabited territory, which is claimed by both China and Bhutan.

Beijing said India had no role to play in the area, and ordered its troops to withdraw unilaterally or face the prospect of an escalation.