India pushes back Chinese Army in Sikkim

A standoff running into more than 10 days now between Indian and Chinese troops has led to tension on the eastern frontier. There was also a scuffle as Indian troops pushed back their Chinese counterparts who made attempts to enter Indian territory at Doka La general area in Sikkim.

Sources said the confrontation began about two weeks ago but a flag meeting was called on June 20 after two earlier attempts failed.

"The situation is still tense," said a government official.

There are reports of two Indian bunkers also being damaged.

Indian soldiers formed a human chain to stop the Chinese troops, sources said.

Pictures and a video of one of the confrontations have also got leaked.

Meanwhile, the Chinese military on Monday accused the Indian Army of stopping the construction of a road along the Sino-Indian frontier in Sikkim and said the move has "seriously damaged" border peace and tranquillity.

Transgressions and incursions between Indian and Chinese troops are not uncommon along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control, but are mostly played down by security agencies.

The Chinese forces had destroyed makeshift Indian bunkers at the same place in 2008.

However, sources say that in the last two years, there has been a dip in such confrontations between Indian and Chinese soldiers. These face-offs usually take place in areas that fall in the disputed category between the two countries.

One of the longest standoffs between the troops of both countries happened in April 2013 in border areas of North Ladakh. It was a three-week confrontation. Another prolonged faceoff took place in 2015, again in Ladakh.

Blaming India for the standoff, a People's Liberation Army statement said, "After India's independence the Indian government repeatedly confirmed in writing that both sides have no objection to Sikkim border."

China's building of the road was completely an act of sovereignty on its own territory, India has no right to interfere, it said.

"The Indian attempt to stop the construction of road has seriously damaged border peace and tranquillity," the statement said.

"(We) hope that India will meet China halfway and do not take any actions to complicate the boundary problem, and jointly maintain momentum of good development of bilateral relations," the statement added.

(With agency inputs)