It is peak winters along the Himalayas, and the Indian and Chinese armed forces continue to be locked in a tense military standoff since May last year. Despite the sub-zero climatic conditions currently prevalent along the entire LAC (de facto Indo-Tibetan border), China on January 20 once again engaged in hostile action against India, which was met with a jaw-breaking response from the Indian side. On the day of Joe Biden’s inauguration as the 46th President of the United States, a Chinese PLA patrol party looked to intrude into Indian territory, which was successfully repulsed by the Indian Army.
The clash took place near Naku La, Sikkim – which in itself is indicative of the fact that as summer months approach, the paper dragon is looking to open a new front along the LAC against India. While around 20 Chinese soldiers were injured in the clash at Naku La in Sikkim, on the Indian side, four Indian Army soldiers reportedly sustained injuries. The situation at the area of the clash continues to remain volatile, yet under the firm control of the Indian Army.
An official statement by the Indian Army on Monday read, “It is clarified that there was a minor face-off at Naku La area of North Sikkim on 20 January 2021 and the same was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols.”There had been a similar brawl in Naku La in May last year, soon after the troops had clashed on the northern bank of Pangong Tso in early May 2020. On May 9 last year, the troops from both sides were involved in a physical clash in the Naku La sector.
It is worth mentioning that China is buying time by engaging in diplomatic and military level talks with India, while also regularly poking New Delhi with aggressive manoeuvres along the LAC. The Modi government, however, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that China regrets the ever initiating hostilities with India. The Indian armed forces, meanwhile, continue to be battle-ready, and on all occasions have thrashed the living daylights out of the sissy-like Peoples Liberation Army of China. Last week too, PLA’s little emperors had to face the wrath of the Indian Army, which is evident by the number of disproportionate casualties on the Chinese side.
On Sunday, meanwhile, the two countries held the 9th Corp Commander level talks, which went on for a marathon 16 hours, ending at 2:30 Monday morning. Information regarding the latest meeting is awaited, although it has, in all likelihood, ended inconclusively.