Indian soldiers thrash, push back Chinese soldiers at Naku La in Sikkim; Army issues statement

Amid the ongoing standoff in Ladakh, India foiled an attempt by the Chinese to intrude across the border at Naku La in North Sikkim last week, as per sources. The Indian Army said the ‘minor face-off’ was resolved between the two sides by officers. Sources said Chinese soldiers tried to cross the border last week but were challenged by Indian soldiers in Naku La in North Sikkim, which resulted in a violent clash. The violent clash resulted in injuries on both sides, sources added. While around 20 Chinese soldiers were injured in the clash at Naku La in Sikkim, on the Indian side, four Indian Army soldiers reportedly sustained injuries. The Indian Army soldiers, however, successfully managed to push back China despite hostile weather conditions in North Sikkim. The situation at the clash site in Sikkim is tense, but stable, sources told India Today on Monday. What has the Indian Army said?

In a statement on Monday, the Indian Army said, the face-off at Naku La was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols. “It is clarified that there was a minor face-off at Naku La area of North Sikkim on 20 January 2021 and the same was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols,” the Indian Army said. The incident has been reported a day after India and China held the ninth round of military talks to defuse border tensions in eastern Ladakh on Sunday. The talks, which finished around 2.30 am and lasted for more than 15 hours, were held at Moldo opposite Chushul in eastern Ladakh sector Amid diplomatic and military talks to find an amicable solution, close to 100,000 Indian and Chinese troops are deployed in eastern Ladakh as both sides have been holding on to their ground and showing readiness for a long-haul. India and China were engaged in months-long standoff in Doklam in 2017. Also, Naku La was one of the face-off sites between India and China, along with Ladakh last year. The latest incident comes months after the fatal face-off that took place on June 15 when PLA soldiers clashed with Indian troops close to patrol point 14 in the Galwan valley of eastern Ladakh. The incident upsets the semblance of tense calm along the territories which the two sides have been manning with huge deployment of forces and military hardware in toughest weather conditions.