Brawls erupt regularly between the two nuclear-armed giants across their disputed 3,500-kilometre frontier. File

Gulf Today Report

Indian and Chinese troops brawled on their contested Himalayan border leaving injuries on both sides, military sources and media reports said on Monday.

The fighting on January 20 came six months after a pitched battle which left at least 20 Indian troops dead as well as an unknown number of Chinese casualties.

The latest incident happened last week at Naku La in Sikkim state, military sources told AFP.

Media reports quoted Indian military officials as saying there were casualties on both sides.

The Indian military played down the latest skirmish as a "minor face-off" at Naku La pass, which connects Sikkim state with Tibet on the Chinese side.

Four Indian troops were injured when a Chinese patrol was forced back, government sources said.

Media reports quoted Indian military officials as saying there were casualties on both sides.

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A Chinese patrol tried to cross into Indian territory and was forced back, the officials said.

Naku La connects Sikkim to the Tibet region in China.

Hand-to-hand fighting on the Sikkim border in May last year set off the latest frontier tensions between the world's two most-populous nations.

In June, troops from the two sides fought with fists and wooden clubs in the Galwan valley of Ladakh region.

China and India, who fought a border war in 1962, blamed each other for the dispute and each has poured tens of thousands of extra troops into border zones.

The latest de-escalation talks between military commanders were held on Sunday.