Indian and Chinese troops clash in Sikkim, Ladakh

About the Ladakh incident, Army sources said there was a physical altercation between the Indian and Chinese troops on the night of May 5-6 near the Pangong Tso. (Representative image / file)

Reigniting tensions over border claims, Indian and Chinese troops have clashed at two points along the Current Line of Control this week, leaving wounded personnel on both sides.

The incidents took place in the Naku La sector, a mountain pass in Sikkim at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters, on Saturday and in a contested area near Pangong Tso, a lake in Ladakh, on the night of 5-6 of May.

A colonel and a commander, sources said, were among the Indian personnel wounded in the Ladakh crash. Two Chinese helicopters also arrived on his side of LAC after an Indian helicopter, carrying a high-ranking officer, flew in the vicinity of the disputed area on May 5 in the morning.

After the Naku La incident, the Army said “temporary and short-term fighting between border guard troops occurs when the boundaries are not resolved.”

“The aggressive behavior of the two parties resulted in minor injuries to the troops. The two sides became disconnected after dialogue and interaction at the local level, ”he said.

About the Ladakh incident, Army sources told The Indian Express that there was a physical altercation between the Indian and Chinese troops on the night of May 5-6 near the Pangong Tso.

Chinese troops are known to have attacked Indian soldiers patrolling the area. They were carrying sticks studded with nails and this caused serious injuries to several Indian soldiers, some of whom had to be hospitalized.

Indian troops, the sources said, also responded to Chinese soldiers, and the confrontation continued until high-ranking officials from both sides intervened. The area is said to be in a high alert state.

The sources said that there was another confrontation in late April, but that it was resolved amicably.

The last such clash in LAC in Ladakh took place in September 2019 on the north shore of Pangong Lake.

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