India has downplayed a Chinese military incursion at the Himalayan Nathu La pass connecting the Indian state of Sikkim with the Chinese Tibetan Autonomous Region as nothing serious despite Indian media reports to the contrary.
An Indian Army statement dismissed reports of a bloody incursion by the Chinese military, saying there "was a minor face-off at (the) Nathu La area of North Sikkim on 20 January 2021 and the same was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols."
This "minor incident" was only revealed Monday by the Indian Army. It occurred in north Sikkim and has since been "resolved," said the army.
The incursion was later identified as a Chinese border patrol that tried to enter Indian territory, but was forced back, said the army.
On the other hand, Indian media is reporting a violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops. What occurred last week was a bloody brawl between Indian and Chinese troops that resulted in injuries to men on both sides, said the Indian magazine, Swarajya, which labeled the incident a "unilateral aggression by China."
The magazine said Indian soldiers fought-off the Chinese intruders
The weekly English-language magazine India Today claims 20 soldiers of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force were injured in the melee, as well as four Indian Army soldiers.
The most serious clash between both sides since the deadly June 15, 2020 fight in Ladakh occurred before India and China began their ninth round of military-to-military talks to resolve disputes around the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Ladakh region, the defacto, but disputed, border between the two countries. The marathon talks lasted 16 hour. Results have not been made public.
The Sikkim region between Bhutan and Nepal is some 2,500 km (1,500 miles) east of the Ladakh. This night time fist fight in mountainous terrain in sub-zero temperatures led to the deaths of 20 Indian Army soldiers and at least 50 men of the PLAGF.
The "violent face-off" took place at the high-altitude terrain of the disputed Galwan Valley along the disuted border that separates India's Ladakh province from China's Aksai-Chin region
The fatal clash was not unexpected. It followed a six-week-long stand-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers marked by fistfights and stone-throwing. Several soldiers from both sides were injured in a May 9 brawl.
