ITBP chief confirms face-offs with Chinese troops at several points in Arunachal as Congress attacks Centre

Government sources say the most prominent standoff is near Asaphila, close to Taksing in Upper Subansiri district, and that it has gone on since late July. Reports describe the Chinese People's Liberation Army pitching tents on higher ground, 6 to 7 km inside what India sees as the LAC, near the Maja company operating base. In July, Indian and Chinese troops met face to face near Maja during routine patrolling. After a brief confrontation both sides withdrew, but the Chinese came back in larger numbers a few days later, and India has since raised its own deployment. A local welfare society had alleged in June that Chinese soldiers were building roads and camps near the LAC and taking over grazing grounds, a claim that has not been verified.

The two governments have kept talking. The working mechanism for border affairs met for the 36th time on 6 August. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval went to Beijing on 26 August for the 25th round of talks between the special representatives. On 6 September the first corps commander meeting in the Eastern Sector took place at Vacha-Damai in Arunachal, when such meetings had mostly been held at Chushul-Moldo in eastern Ladakh since the Galwan clashes of June 2020. President Xi Jinping attended the BRICS summit in India from 11 to 13 September. Relations have thawed since 2024 after years of tension in Ladakh.

The government's line and the opposition's

On Friday the foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said the border situation "gets disturbed from time-to-time" when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns. He referred specifics to the defence ministry, said both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms and have agreed to discuss ways to improve understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas, and called peace along the border essential for ties.

Congress attacked the government. Its general secretary Jairam Ramesh spoke of a "deafening silence" from the Prime Minister's office, said locals report that patrolling points have been lost again "as in Ladakh", and pointed to China's renaming of places in Arunachal, a 60,000 MW dam it is building on the upper Brahmaputra, and a record trade deficit with China of $112 billion in 2025-26, up from $99 billion. The party accused the government of suppressing reports of skirmishes since July, said the Prime Minister "was seen joking around" with Xi at the September BRICS summit instead of acting, and said he had "abandoned our soldiers every time". The government has not responded to those charges. The Cockroach Janta Party's founder, Abhijeet Dipke, said security forces meant to protect the borders were being used against protesting citizens.

Kapur said the ITBP is raising a specialised high-altitude mountain fighting force distinct from the Army, with a full battalion of Shaurya commandos expected soon. Its weapons are about 50 years old and need modernising, he said, and he stressed drones and counter-drone capability. Of Rs 400 crore in modernisation funds, 70 per cent went to drones, with one drone platoon in each border battalion, and Rs 1,000 crore of a separate Rs 3,500 to 4,000 crore scheme is set aside for drones. Reinforced underground shelters and bunkers are being built against artillery and weather, and forward posts are being equipped for "Galwan-like situations". China claims much of Arunachal as "South Tibet", and India rejects the claim.