ITBP chief confirms India-China face-off ongoing along Arunachal border; opposition hits back
However, the ITBP chief praised the force’s Shaurya commandos for their performance during the confrontations, saying they had played an “exemplary role”.
PTC News Desk: Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur has confirmed that confrontations with Chinese troops are continuing at several locations along the Arunachal Pradesh border. This is the first official confirmation of ongoing face-offs in the northeastern state, where tensions have increased in recent months.
"In the past few days, a situation arose where a face-off happened at several locations in Arunachal, and it continues," Kapur said at an annual felicitation ceremony for ITBP personnel.
However, the ITBP chief praised the force’s Shaurya commandos for their performance during the confrontations, saying they had played an “exemplary role”. The commandos specialise in high-altitude warfare.
Established in 1962, the ITBP guards the 3,488-km-long LAC with China. Kapur said the force was originally established as a mountain guerrilla force and was assigned border-guarding duties along the Chinese frontier in 2004. He stressed that the force should continue to maintain its original capabilities.
Describing China as the ITBP’s “most difficult” front, Kapur said the force had established drone platoons in all its border units, developed specialised combat training to handle situations similar to the Galwan Valley clashes and was building underground infrastructure.
Tensions along the Arunachal Pradesh border have increased in recent months. In July, a fact-finding team of the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) alleged that Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops were effectively blocking India's access to designated patrolling points in Taksing. The team also flagged increased Chinese activities in Upper Subansiri district.
The PPA, a regional political party with two MLAs in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly, raised concerns over the situation. The government, however, rejected the allegations and reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh was an “inalienable” and “integral part of India”.
The Congress also raised the issue, seeking answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that there had been no new Chinese occupation of territory in Arunachal Pradesh. However, he acknowledged local concerns about access to certain grazing areas near the border.
The ITBP chief’s latest remarks have prompted fresh criticism from the Congress. Party MP Jairam Ramesh questioned what he described as the Prime Minister’s “deafening silence” on the border situation. He also questioned the outcome of Corps commander-level talks held in September to maintain peace along the LAC. The meeting was the first flag meeting between senior military commanders in the Arunachal Pradesh sector.
"While the self-styled Vishwaguru's calibrated concessions to China continue, the DG, ITBP, has lauded - and rightly so - its performance in recent face-offs with the PLA in Arunachal Pradesh, on which there has been a deafening silence from the PM and his establishment," Ramesh tweeted.
Ramesh said local residents had reported that patrolling points had once again been lost, drawing a comparison with the situation in Ladakh. He also alleged that China continued to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh and was building a 60,000-MW dam that could threaten India's ecological and water security.
The developments point to renewed tensions between India and China following earlier standoffs in Doklam and eastern Ladakh. How the two countries address the latest situation remains to be seen amid efforts to improve bilateral relations.