Kapoor, the Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), said on Thursday, “Over the past few days, a situation has developed in which both sides (India and China) have come face-to-face at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh. This situation is still continuing.”
This is the first official confirmation of the face-offs since tensions emerged along the northeastern frontier in July this year. Tensions have persisted since late July in the Asaphila and Maja areas of Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district.
The Ministry of External Affairs has also responded to the developments. Its spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said India and China were continuing discussions to resolve issues relating to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“As we have said earlier, the situation on the India-China border periodically deteriorates when Chinese troops patrol beyond their designated routes. Both countries are continuously using dialogue and military channels to resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), address misunderstandings and prevent any disruption,” Jaiswal said.
Speaking to the media, he added that both sides had also agreed to improve their understanding of the LAC to ensure proper border management. He emphasised that maintaining peace along the border was essential for advancing bilateral relations between the two countries.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi described the situation as serious and said the Union Home Minister, Defence Minister and External Affairs Minister should answer questions about it. She made the remarks in a statement shared by ANI on X.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), also shared Kapoor’s statement and criticised the government. Social media users have been reacting to the ITBP chief’s remarks and expressing their views on the border situation.
Kapoor made the comments during the annual Himveer Samman Ceremony, organised on Thursday to honour ITBP personnel. He said ITBP commandos had remained active during the ongoing confrontations along the Arunachal Pradesh border and praised the “exceptional work” of the force’s Shaurya Commando teams.
“Our newly formed Shaurya Commando teams played an excellent role in this. The ITBP was established as a guerrilla force for mountainous terrain, and in 2004, we were assigned the responsibility of securing the border with China,” Kapoor said.
The ceremony was held at the Central Training College (CTC) in Alwar, Rajasthan. During the event, Kapoor also highlighted the limitations of conventional military capabilities and called for greater investment in drone and counter-drone technologies.
He said the ITBP continued to rely on conventional weapons and that confronting China through traditional methods alone might not be feasible, given the substantial investments Beijing had made in modernising its weapons and infrastructure.
“Now, it will be difficult to confront China through conventional methods because China has invested heavily in modernising its security forces and has moved ahead. But through drones, smaller countries can fight larger countries, as we have seen in the Russia-Ukraine and Iran-US conflicts. Russia is sacrificing 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers every month, on a daily basis,” Kapoor said.
Following the ITBP chief’s remarks, the Congress launched a sharp attack on the Modi government, alleging that the Centre had attempted to suppress reports of confrontations with Chinese troops since July.
In a post on its official X account, the Congress said that instead of showing China a “red eye”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been seen laughing and joking with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the BRICS summit.
“While China was clashing with our soldiers, Modi was welcoming the Chinese President. This is like rubbing salt into the wounds of our soldiers. Modi has abandoned our soldiers every time and betrayed the country by shirking responsibility,” the party alleged.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also criticised the government, saying that while the Prime Minister continued to make concessions to China, the ITBP Director General had praised the force’s performance during recent confrontations with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) inside Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh.
In a post on X, Ramesh said Kapoor’s praise for the ITBP personnel was justified, but accused the Prime Minister and his administration of maintaining silence on the issue.
Ramesh further claimed that following a confrontation at Taksing, corps commander-level talks had taken place last month at Wacha and Damai in Arunachal Pradesh. According to him, local residents had reported that, as in Ladakh, India had once again lost access to some patrolling points.
He also alleged that China had continued renaming towns in Arunachal Pradesh and was constructing a 60,000-megawatt dam that posed a major threat to India’s ecology and water security.
Ramesh said India was still paying the price for what he described as the Prime Minister’s controversial clean chit to China on June 19, 2020. Following the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers, Modi had said, “Neither has anyone entered our territory nor is anyone inside it, nor is any of our posts under someone else’s control.”
Ramesh also referred to former Army Chief General Naravane, claiming that during the Chinese incursion in Ladakh, the only instruction he received was, “Do whatever you think is appropriate.”
He cited remarks made publicly on July 4, 2025, by Vice Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Rahul Singh about the extent and depth of China’s involvement in Pakistan’s military campaign during Operation Sindoor.
However, Ramesh noted that on August 25, 2026, former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan publicly contradicted Singh’s disclosures. Ramesh further claimed that, shortly afterwards, Chauhan took charge of a prominent think tank within the RSS-BJP ecosystem.
Questioning the government’s approach towards Beijing, Ramesh asked what kind of nationalism allowed continued leniency towards China and growing economic dependence despite border tensions. He said the country needed clear answers on national security rather than what he called hollow claims about the Prime Minister’s “56-inch chest”.
Abhijeet Dipke also criticised the deployment of security personnel for managing domestic protests. In a post on X, the CJP founder said, “Yes, because the security forces that should be protecting our borders are being deployed to prevent citizens from holding protests.”
He alleged that the Modi government was putting national security at risk by using security forces against Indian citizens. Dipke said protecting the country’s borders should take priority over turning Delhi into a fortress to suppress peaceful demonstrations.
Activist Gurmehar Kaur also responded to Kapoor’s remarks, writing on X that China’s PLA was far ahead of India and that India would not be able to match it. She questioned the government’s earlier rhetoric about showing China a “red eye” and the claim of the Prime Minister’s “56-inch chest”, arguing that Kapoor’s statement had exposed the reality behind those claims and the controversial clean chit given to China in 2020.
A report by The Hindu stated that the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops had continued since late July in the Asaphila area near Taksing along the Arunachal Pradesh border.
According to the newspaper, the Chinese PLA had erected tents in the high-altitude region near the operating base of the Maja company in the Taksing circle of Upper Subansiri district. The tents were reportedly located within six to seven kilometres of the Line of Actual Control, according to India's perception of the LAC.
The developments come after India hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for the BRICS summit from September 11 to 13, during which both sides spoke about reducing tensions.
Kapoor’s confirmation of continued face-offs, alongside calls to strengthen drone capabilities, has brought renewed attention to the security situation along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier. The government’s handling of the issue has also become a point of political contention, with opposition leaders demanding greater clarity on the confrontations, patrolling access and the broader state of India-China relations.
About The Author
Comment List