Indian, Chinese soldiers hurt in Sikkim face-off

New Delhi: Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured during a face-off along the boundary in north Sikkim, sources said.

Four Indian soldiers and half a dozen of Chinese troops were injured during the confrontation on Saturday which took place at Naku La sector, ahead of Muguthang, a pass at a height of more than 5,000 metres, the sources added.

In total, 150 soldiers were present when the confrontation took place, which was later resolved at the local level.

The sources said that temporary and short duration face offs occur as boundaries are not resolved.

"Incidents of face off took place. Aggressive behaviour and minor injuries took place from both sides. They were disengaged after dialogue and interaction at local level," they added.

Troops resolve such issues mutually as per established protocols.

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 exchanged blows near Pangong Lake in Ladakh.

The clash had aggravated tensions between the two countries as it happened at a time when they were locked in a stand-off in the disputed territory of Doklam in Sikkim.

It took two months to end the stand-off between the forces.