Fresh concerns over the India-China border have emerged after the ITBP chief acknowledged continuing confrontations in Arunachal Pradesh. Kapoor also outlined plans to strengthen drone surveillance, expand specialised commando units and improve combat preparedness along the challenging mountain frontier.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, October 23, 2026: Revelation by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor have brought renewed attention to tensions along the India-China frontier, with the border force chief confirming that confrontations between Indian and Chinese troops are continuing at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh.
Speaking to personnel in Rajasthan’s Alwar on Thursday, ahead of the ITBP’s 65th Raising Day, Kapoor said face-offs had occurred at multiple locations in the state over the past few days and that the situation remained unresolved. He also praised the newly raised Shaurya Commando teams for their role in handling confrontations with Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops.
“In the past few days, a situation arose where face-offs happened at several locations in Arunachal, and it still continues,” Kapoor said.
The statement offers a significant update on developments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the disputed and undemarcated frontier separating Indian- and Chinese-administered territory. It also comes amid continuing questions from opposition leaders about the situation on the ground, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh’s remote border areas.
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.
Corps commander talks were held at Wacha and Damai in Arunachal Pradesh last month after the Taksing face-off. Locals had reported that patrolling points had been lost once again, as in Ladakh. China continues to rename our towns in Arunachal Pradesh and is building a 60,000-MW dam that threatens our ecological and water security.
India’s trade deficit with China zoomed even further to a record $112 billion in 2025–26, up from $99 billion the previous year. This has simply crushed our MSMEs in many industries. Make in India has become Import from China. This staggering trade deficit is in itself a very significant threat to our economic security.
India has been paying the price for the PM’s infamous clean chit to China on June 19, 2020, when he said, after 20 of our brave jawans had been martyred: “ना कोई वहाँ हमारी सीमा में घुस आया है और न ही कोई घुसा हुआ है, न ही हमारी कोई पोस्ट किसी दूसरे के कब्ज़े में है।” The retired Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Naravane, has revealed that the only instructions he received while at the helm, when Chinese incursions took place in Ladakh, were: “जो उचित समझो वो करो।”
On July 4, 2025, the Deputy Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh, had spoken publicly on China’s both intensively and extensively embedded role in Pakistan’s military campaign during our Operation Sindoor. Yet, on August 25, 2026, the retired Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan, publicly contradicted Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh’s revelations and, soon thereafter, took over a think tank that is a key part of the RSS/BJP ecosystem.
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 23, 2026
Reports in recent months have focused on the Taksing area of Upper Subansiri district, including Asaphila near the Maja company operating base. Tensions were reported to have persisted there since at least late July 2026. A corps commander-level meeting was held at the Wacha-Damai border meeting point on September 6 to discuss the situation. However, the extent of any subsequent de-escalation remains unclear from the information available.
Local reports and opposition allegations have raised concerns about restrictions on Indian patrols and Chinese personnel operating close to India’s perception of the LAC. The precise circumstances and extent of the current face-offs have not been fully detailed in the publicly available remarks.
Kapoor’s comments also highlighted the ITBP’s efforts to strengthen its operational capabilities along the mountainous frontier. Describing China as India’s most challenging border adversary, he outlined plans to expand drone capabilities, improve specialised combat training and strengthen infrastructure for troops operating in difficult terrain.
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The force is raising drone platoons in its border units and has introduced a new training programme called the “Strike” course to prepare personnel for intense combat situations, including scenarios comparable to the 2020 Galwan clash. Kapoor also referred to an expansion of underground infrastructure and plans to strengthen the Shaurya Commando component, with the eventual objective of establishing a full company in every battalion. A specialised battalion for high-altitude operations is also envisaged.
The initiatives reflect the growing emphasis on surveillance, rapid response and combat preparedness along the LAC, where difficult terrain, extreme weather and competing territorial perceptions complicate border management.
Congress Questions Modi’s Silence on China
Kapoor’s disclosure has added to the political debate over the government’s communication on the border situation. Congress leaders, including Jairam Ramesh, have questioned what they describe as the absence of a clear public response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government to reports of continuing confrontations in Arunachal Pradesh.
The opposition has previously sought explanations from the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over allegations of restricted Indian patrolling and increased Chinese activity around Taksing. Congress leaders have drawn parallels with the disputes over access to traditional patrolling areas in eastern Ladakh.
The central issue is not simply whether face-offs occur along an undemarcated frontier, but whether Indian troops retain access to areas they have traditionally patrolled and whether any changes on the ground have been adequately explained by the government.
The ITBP chief’s statement confirms that confrontations have occurred and continue at several locations. It does not, however, establish that Indian territory has been lost, that Chinese forces have permanently occupied disputed areas or that Indian patrols have been systematically prevented from accessing particular locations.
A Sensitive and Contested Frontier
India and China share an approximately 3,488-kilometre-long disputed boundary, commonly referred to as the Line of Actual Control. Arunachal Pradesh remains particularly sensitive because the two countries disagree over the alignment of the boundary in the eastern sector.
China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of what it calls Zangnan, or South Tibet, a position firmly rejected by India. New Delhi maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of the country.
The 2020 Galwan Valley clash in eastern Ladakh, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, remains a defining episode in the deterioration of bilateral relations. Kapoor’s emphasis on specialised combat training and improved operational readiness reflects the continuing importance of preparing troops for sudden confrontations along the mountainous frontier.
India has also expanded border infrastructure and surveillance capabilities, while repeatedly maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the LAC are essential for stable relations with China.
Against this backdrop, the ITBP chief’s remarks raise questions about the current operational situation in Arunachal Pradesh and the extent to which it has been communicated to the public. Ministerial statements in 2024 stressed the difficulties arising from an undemarcated boundary and overlapping patrols; Kapoor’s latest comments confirm ongoing face-offs but provide limited information about their precise locations, causes or consequences.
As Kapoor prepares to retire on October 31, the immediate questions concern the status of the reported confrontations, the extent of any restrictions on Indian patrolling, and whether the military-level discussions held in September have produced tangible progress towards reducing tensions.
For now, the ITBP chief’s statement provides an official acknowledgment of continuing face-offs at multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh. The available information does not establish whether the latest incidents have resulted in any change in territorial control, leaving the full picture dependent on further official briefings and independently verified reporting.
