Indian Army foiled a plan of Chinese soldiers to infiltrate at the Nathu La, following which there was a skirmish between the two sides, leading to a minor face-off. 20 PLA soldiers were reportedly injured in the clash while 4 on the Indian side sustained injuries. This comes at a time when the two countries are currently in their ninth round of deliberation and negotiation talks relating to de-escalation at the shared border.
It is to be noted that despite the harsh weather conditions that are currently prevailing in Sikkim, the Indian Army was able to successfully push off the Chinese. Nearly 50,000 troops of the Indian Army are deployed in a high state of combat readiness in various mountainous locations in eastern Ladakh in sub-zero temperatures as multiple rounds of talks between the two sides have not yielded concrete outcome to resolve the standoff.
The Indian Army issued an official statement regarding the same which is as follows: “We have received several queries regarding a face-off between Indian Army and PLA troops in Sikkim sector. It is clarified that there was a minor face-off at Nakula area of North Sikkim on 20 January 2021 and the same was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols.”