India’s ITBP chief says face-offs with Chinese forces continue in Arunachal Pradesh

NEW DELHI, India: Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur said Indian and Chinese forces continue to face off at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh, highlighting ongoing tensions along the disputed border. His remarks have raised questions about the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), where the two countries have experienced recurring military tensions.

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

The ITBP chief also acknowledged the gap between India and China in conventional military capabilities, saying Beijing had invested heavily in modernising its armed forces. He argued that India needed to develop its own capabilities, particularly in drone warfare, to meet the challenges posed by a technologically advanced military.

“China is an equally big power; perhaps now it is difficult for us to confront them by traditional methods, because they have invested a lot in the PLA and BDR and have modernized a great deal and moved far ahead,” Kapur said.

He identified drone technology as an opportunity for India to counter a militarily stronger opponent, citing Ukraine’s war with Russia as an example of how a comparatively smaller country could inflict substantial losses on a larger military.

“But the drone is such a thing that even a comparatively small force, even a small country, can give a big country a very good fight with it. We saw Ukraine — a comparatively small country against Russia — yet Russia is losing roughly ten to fifteen thousand soldiers every month. Such a large country, despite being a superpower, and in Ukraine they thought, ‘we will capture Ukraine in one month, two months.’ Now the fourth year has come, and every month ten to fifteen thousand dead bodies are coming to them. See what a huge loss they are suffering as the consequence of one decision,” he said.

The remarks prompted the Congress party to accuse the government of failing to provide the public with a clear account of developments along the border. The opposition party alleged that the government had made concessions to China without securing adequate guarantees on India’s territorial interests.

Amid the political criticism, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that India and China continued to use diplomatic and military channels to address border disputes. The ministry also reiterated that peace and tranquillity along the border remained essential for improving bilateral relations.

MEA says border security gets disturbed from China

Responding to questions about Kapur’s reported remarks, the MEA said the Ministry of Defence was better placed to address the specific military details. It acknowledged that the situation along the border could be disturbed when Chinese forces departed from established patrolling patterns.

“Insofar as the specifics are concerned, I would refer you to the Ministry of Defence. As we have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns,” the MEA spokesperson said.

The ministry added that both countries remained engaged through established mechanisms to prevent misunderstandings and resolve outstanding issues along the LAC.

“Both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The two sides have also agreed to discuss ways to improve understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas for better border management. I would also like to emphasise that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations,” the spokesperson said.

The government’s response came as opposition leaders questioned why the reported confrontations had not been publicly addressed earlier. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the ITBP chief’s remarks raised serious concerns about national security and India’s ability to maintain access to traditional patrolling areas.

In a post on X, Kharge questioned whether India faced another serious confrontation with China following the Doklam and Galwan clashes. He also referred to reports of Chinese incursions near Taksing in Arunachal Pradesh in August and questioned whether Indian forces had lost access to areas where they previously patrolled.

“The ITBP DG’s confirmation of continuing PLA face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh is deeply alarming. After Doklam and Galwan, is another serious confrontation unfolding? Reports of Chinese incursions near Taksing emerged in August. Yet, even 47 days after Corps Commander-level talks at Wacha–Damai, reportedly just 180 km away, confrontations continue. Has India’s patrolling access been compromised?” Kharge asked, adding that national security demands accountability rather than “diplomatic photo opportunities and Hugplomacy.”

Kharge also criticised the government over India’s trade relationship with China, arguing that economic dependence had increased despite continuing border tensions.

“Since the Galwan sacrifice of 20 Indian Army bravehearts (FY2020–21), Chinese imports have surged 102%, while India’s trade deficit with China has ballooned 155% to $112.16 billion… Has Make in India become Import from China?” he said.

Congress accuses government of making concessions

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh also accused the government of remaining silent on the reported confrontations and alleged that India had lost access to traditional patrolling points in Arunachal Pradesh.

“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 said in a post on X.

He also raised concerns about China’s renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh and the construction of a major dam on the Brahmaputra River, warning of potential consequences for India’s ecological and water security.

Congress leader Pawan Khera questioned the government’s decisions on economic and diplomatic engagement with China, including the easing of visa restrictions for Chinese personnel and the removal of investment restrictions under Press Note 3. He asked whether India had secured any meaningful gains in return.

“What did we get? Can we patrol the points today where we used to patrol before April 2020, or not? In exchange for all this, shouldn’t you have taken something? Or did you just accept that you will do whatever China wants because you are afraid?” Khera asked.

Referring to videos from border villages in Arunachal Pradesh, Khera said local residents had raised concerns about Chinese activity in the region. He challenged the government to explain the situation to families of soldiers killed in the Galwan clash.

“Every day you hear that China has entered Arunachal; local rural people are making emotional appeals on social media… Tell the DG of ITBP that everything is normal. Tell those 20 families whose people were martyred that everything is normal,” he said.

Congress MP Jebi Mather questioned why the public had not been informed earlier about the reported confrontations, saying the ITBP chief’s remarks suggested that the situation had persisted for months.

“The ITBP Director General has made a very strong revelation… but the fact is he is saying this has been happening since July, which means we are in October and now it took for the nation to know about this when an ITBP Director General revealed it. We have not heard anything about this from our Prime Minister. We have not heard anything about this from our Home Minister,” Mather said.

Opposition leaders call for accountability

The criticism extended beyond the Congress, with opposition parties calling on the government to explain the reported border developments and its broader approach to China.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi told NNP that the government needed to address the apparent gap between its efforts to normalise relations with Beijing and reports of continuing confrontations along the border.

“It is the responsibility of the country’s Home Minister, Defence Minister, and Minister of External Affairs to provide an answer. On one hand, we keep talking about trying to normalize relations with China—implying that all is well—yet, on the other hand, there is a persistent pattern of such statements being made, time and again. Given that this concerns the nation’s security, its sensitive interests, and the national interest, those responsible must be held accountable,” Chaturvedi said.

Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary D Raja urged Modi to focus on national security rather than political exchanges with opposition leaders.

“Prime Minister Modi should realise he is the Prime Minister of India. Instead of resorting to cheap rhetoric against opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, he must speak on the real issues facing the country today,” Raja said.

However, Raja expressed confidence that diplomatic engagement could help both countries address their differences.

“Both are neighbouring countries with cooperation in multiple fields. Whatever the disputes which appear, both countries have that maturity, have their experience to sort out, resolve through dialogue,” he said.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activist Abhijeet Dipke also criticised the government, alleging that deploying security personnel to control domestic protests risked diverting attention from the country’s border security needs.

“Yeah, because forces that should be protecting our borders are being deployed to stop citizens from protesting. Modi is putting national security at risk by using security forces against his own countrymen. The priority should be securing our borders, not deploying forces to turn Delhi into a fortress to suppress peaceful citizen protests,” Dipke posted on X.

The controversy comes amid continued efforts by India and China to manage tensions along the LAC through military and diplomatic channels. The two sides held their first Corps Commander-level meeting in September, according to the information provided, as they continued discussions on border management.

Kapur’s remarks have brought renewed attention to the challenges facing Indian forces along the disputed frontier, while the opposition has demanded greater transparency from the government. The MEA has reiterated the importance of dialogue and maintaining peace along the border, but questions remain over the specific confrontations described by the ITBP chief and their implications for India’s security and bilateral relations with China.

The Author