Sino-Indian troops defuse Ladakh tension after talks

NEW DELHI: Indian and Chinese troops defused tension after brigadier-level talks between the two sides on Wednesday evening. The talks followed a face-off in eastern Ladakh on Wednesday, which lasted till evening. Indian officials said that the troops disengaged after the talks.

“The incident occurred due to differing perceptions on the Line of Actual Control. There are established mechanisms to resolve such occurrences,” an official said. A video of the clash on social media had shown soldiers punching and kicking each other and throwing stones.

The face-off occurred on the northern bank of the 134 km Pangong lake. Indian troops were on patrol when a Chinese patrol objected to their presence. There were 12 soldiers on each side. Officials said Chinese troops engaged in a ‘banner drill’ asking Indian soldiers to go back. Reinforcements and a scuffle followed. “The Chinese side asked for brigadier-level talks, which took place at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point in eastern Ladakh. Both sides agreed that such incidents should not take place. In case it does happen in the future, both sides will pull back together,” said an official.