Indian and Chinese troops clashed in Arunachal Pradesh on December 9. There have been injuries to both Indian and Chinese soldiers. There are no reports of any deaths.
According to sources, PLA troops contacted the LAC in Tawang Sector of Arunachal Pradesh, which was contested by Indian troops “in a firm and resolute manner”. “This face-off led to minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides. Both sides immediately disengaged from the area.”
“As a follow-up of the incident, India’s Commander in the area held a Flag Meeting with his counterpart to discuss the issue in accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquillity,” the sources added.
In certain areas along the LAC in the Tawang Sector in Arunachal Pradesh, there are areas of differing perception, wherein both sides patrol the area up to their claim lines. This has been the trend since 2006, the sources said.
Indian and Chinese troops also clashed in June 2020 in hand-to-hand combat in the Galwan valley in Ladakh, abutting the Chinese-held Tibetan plateau, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
China too suffered an undisclosed number of casualties, and both sides ramped up their military presence, moving troops, weapons and supplies to the high-altitude desert region. India and China share an un-demarcated 3,800 km (2,360 mile) frontier, where their troops previously adhered to long-standing protocols to avoid the use of any firearms along the de facto border known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The one major being in October 2021 at Yangtse, 35 km northeast of Tawang. The Chinese attempt to get access to the top of 17,000 feet peak was thwarted and the area is now under snow and will remain so till March.
This is the first physical clash between the two armies since August 2020 near Rinchen La in eastern Ladakh.
