The Indian and Chinese soldiers were involved in a fresh brawl along a disputed border in the eastern Himalayas earlier resulting in injuries on both sides, defence officials and media reports said on Monday.

The incident occurred on Wednesday at the Naku La pass, located in India’s north-eastern state of Sikkim, which borders the Tibet region.

“We have received several queries regarding a face-off between Indian army and PLA (People’s Liberation Army) troops in Sikkim sector.

“It is clarified that there was a minor face-off at Naku La area of North Sikkim on Jan. 20, and the same was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols,” the army said in a statement.

There was no official comment on whether troops were injured, but leading Indian news outlets citing defence sources confirmed the scuffles resulted in injuries of a minor nature on both sides.

The statement gave no further details, but added that the media should refrain from overplaying or exaggerating reports which are factually incorrect.

The incident comes amid tension between the Asian giants after violent clashes between their forces at the borders in 2020.

In June, troops from the two countries had their first violent confrontation in 45 years, during which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.

Beijing did not release any casualty numbers.