FIST-FIGHT erupts between Indian and Chinese troops at strategic crossing between the two nations leaving several men injured
- 150 soldiers from both sides were involved in a violent brawl in the Himalayas
- Several were injured in the clash near the strategic Nathu La crossing
- The crossing is situated between Tibet and India’s Sikkim state
- Violent clashes between India and China often occur near the demarcation lines
A violent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers broke out at a strategic mountain pass in the Himalayas on Saturday.
According to the Press Trust of India, 150 soldiers were involved in the face-off which took place near the 15,000 feet Nathu La crossing which connects India’s Sikkim state with Tibet.
Several troops were injured with soldiers from both sides throwing both fists and stones at one another.
150 soldiers from China (left) and India (right) were seen fighting against each other in the strategic mountain pass of Nathu La (pictured) on Saturday
Violent clashes between the two countries have occurred regularly on the border, which is situated near Bhutan, Tibet and India, since the Arunachal Pradesh war in 1962
Indian Army Eastern Command spokesman Mandeep Hooda told AFP: ‘Aggressive behaviour by the two sides resulted in minor injuries to troops.
It was stone-throwing and arguments that ended in a fistfight.
‘Temporary and short duration face-offs between border-guarding troops do occur as boundaries are not resolved.’
This is not the first time India and China have been forced into a tense stand-off in the Himalayas, as the boundaries on the demarcation lines, including the Line of Actual Control in the Jammu and Kashmir state, have not be clearly outlined since the 1962 war in India’s Arunachal Pradesh state.
Indian soldiers (left) have been forced into mobilisation in this area in recent years to stop Chinese troops making incursions on the demarcation lines
In 2017, Chinese troops (pictured) made several attempts to build roads on the Line of Actual Control with India seeing this as a threat to their security
In 2017, Indian troops mobilised at the Doklam region near Bhutan after Chinese soldiers threatened to build a road there, which India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj described as a threat to India’s security.
Later that year, soldiers of the two countries were seen fighting against each other near the Ladakh region in north west India, after 8,000 Indian troops were sent to counter-act Chinese officers carrying out incursions on the Line of Actual Control.
Relations were believed to have eased following two meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recent year.
Relations between China and India were believed to have calmed down following meetings between President Xi Jinping (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right)
The pair met in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2018 while they also had talks in Chennai, southern India last October.
However, the most recent conflict, which had to be stopped after ‘dialogue and interaction’ according to Mr Hooda, suggest otherwise.