ITBP Chief Says Arunachal Border Face-Offs Are Still Ongoing

At a ceremony in Alwar, Rajasthan, ITBP chief Shatrujeet Kapur told troops that clashes at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh were still continuing. His remarks, made Thursday and reported Friday, are the first official confirmation in these sources that the clashes are ongoing. Kapur also praised the force’s newly formed Shaurya commandos for their work during the encounters. ^1,7

Those encounters have been reported since July, when concerns arose that Chinese troops were preventing Indian forces from reaching patrol points near Taksing in Upper Subansiri district. Kapur did not name China in his quoted remarks. But the border force guards the Line of Actual Control with China, and reports link the clashes to Chinese troops. A video of his comments was posted online by ITBP and later deleted; the force had not responded to a request for comment. ^2,10

The patrol points are disputed, and accounts differ on what has happened there. A regional fact-finding team alleged Indian access had been restricted, while the Arunachal government rejected those claims. Union minister Kiren Rijiju said there had been no new Chinese occupation, but acknowledged local concerns about access to grazing areas. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh used Kapur’s comments to accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of silence and concessions to China. Those are political claims, not confirmed findings. ^1,2,7

That dispute now sits alongside a security upgrade. ITBP says it has drone platoons in its border units and is building underground facilities. It is also training personnel for situations like the 2020 Galwan clash. The force says this work is meant to prepare troops for high-altitude clashes. The immediate next step is a response from ITBP or the central government; neither had publicly answered the latest criticism in the reports. ^1,3,10