ITBP Chief Confirms Ongoing Face-Offs With Chinese Troops Along Arunachal Border; Congress Questions PM Modi

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur has confirmed that there are ongoing confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops at multiple points along the border in Arunachal Pradesh.

During the ceremony, Kapur said the clashes had continued since July, when it was reported that the Chinese soldiers were obstructing the Indian soldiers’ access to some of the patrolling posts in the Taksing area in the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

“In the past few days, a situation arose where a face-off happened at several locations in Arunachal, and it continues,” Kapur said.

ITBP’s Shaurya Commandos Played Key Role

Kapur praised the performance of the ITBP’s newly raised Shaurya commandos during the confrontations, saying they had played an exemplary role. The commandos specialise in high-altitude warfare.

Established in 1962, the ITBP is responsible for guarding the 3,488-km-long LAC with China.

Kapur said the force was originally raised as a mountain guerrilla unit and was assigned border-guarding responsibilities along the Chinese frontier in 2004. He stressed that it should continue to retain its original operational role.

Describing the Chinese border as the force’s most challenging front, the ITBP chief said drone platoons had been established across its border units. The force has also developed specialised combat training to prepare personnel for situations similar to the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and is working on underground infrastructure.

Arunachal Border Tensions Have Increased in Recent Months

The remarks come amid growing concerns over Chinese activities along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier.

In July, a fact-finding team of the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) alleged that People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops were effectively restricting Indian access to designated patrolling points in Taksing. The team also flagged increased Chinese activity in Upper Subansiri district.

The PPA, a regional party with two MLAs in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly, raised concerns about the situation. However, the BJP-led state government rejected the allegations.

Union minister Kiren Rijiju had earlier said there had been no fresh Chinese occupation of territory in Arunachal Pradesh, while acknowledging local concerns over access to certain grazing areas near the border.

Congress Questions PM Modi’s Silence

The ITBP chief’s remarks prompted fresh criticism from the Congress, which questioned the Centre’s response to the reported face-offs.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his administration of maintaining silence over the developments. In a post on X, Ramesh referred to Kapur’s praise for the ITBP personnel and questioned the government’s position on the confrontations.

Ramesh also raised questions about the outcome of Corps commander-level talks held in September to maintain peace along the LAC. The meeting was the first at the highest military commander level in the Arunachal Pradesh sector.

The Congress leader alleged that local residents had reported losing access to patrolling points, drawing a comparison with developments in Ladakh. He also cited China’s renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh and the construction of a proposed 60,000-MW dam, which he said could pose risks to India’s ecological and water security.

The government has previously rejected claims of new Chinese occupation in Arunachal Pradesh. The latest remarks from the ITBP chief have brought the border situation back into focus, while questions remain over the details of the face-offs and their implications for patrolling along the LAC.