Chinese and Indian soldiers beat each other in the disputed border region of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9, marking the first time the two sides have dished it out since the string of fatal clashes in the Galwan Valley that began in 2020.
Exact details of the skirmish remain unclear, but Indian media, citing military and government sources, have reported that the face-off resulted in “minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides” before troops “immediately disengaged from the area.”
The most notorious instance of fighting between Indian and Chinese troops was on June 15, 2020, in the Galwan river valley, where a massive and fatal melee brawl ensued. Both sides were armed with clubs, iron bars, nail boards, and stones, which caused dozens of casualties on each side. Likewise, about a dozen soldiers from each country were also briefly taken prisoner and used for propaganda purposes before being released.
BREAKING: Chinese state media releases video of Galwan valley clash between armies of China and India. pic.twitter.com/NSQ1PJROHu
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) February 19, 2021
The use of firearms by Chinese and Indian forces stationed at the border is prohibited under a 1996 agreement to avoid possible escalations, so most skirmishes you see are fist fights or done using blunt objects as described above. The last notable clash before the one on December 9 occurred in January 2021 in the Galwan Valley, in which there were several injuries.
So far, I have not been able to find any credible videos or photos of the incident. I have noticed a lot of footage of previous Galwan Valley clashes going around claiming to be from December 9.
