ITBP chief confirms face-offs with Chinese troops at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh

The head of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has said Indian and Chinese troops have been in face-offs at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh and that the situation is still continuing.

ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Kapur made the remarks on Thursday while addressing personnel at the force's annual Himveer Samman Samaroh at its training college in Alwar, Rajasthan. ThePrint and Outlook reported that this was the first official confirmation of the confrontations.

What the ITBP chief said

Kapur said a situation had arisen in recent days in which face-offs took place at several points in Arunachal, adding that it "still continues". He credited the force's newly raised Shaurya commando platoons with an important role in handling the confrontations.

He also argued that it may be difficult to counter China "by conventional means" and called for greater investment in drones and counter-drone systems. ThePrint reported that each border battalion is to get a drone platoon, that the force has begun in-house drone manufacturing and pilot training, and that a new training course has been designed to help troops avoid a Galwan-like clash.

Background to the stand-off

Citing government sources, reports have said troops of both sides have been in a stand-off near Taksing in Upper Subansiri district since late July. India and China have held several rounds of diplomatic and military talks since then, including a meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on August 6. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the BRICS summit hosted by India in September.

Responding to a question from ThePrint, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India treats border matters with China very seriously and that peace in border areas is paramount to the wider relationship.

Opposition leaders seized on the remarks. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh accused the government of staying silent on the issue, while Congress MP Jebi Mather said the public had learnt of the situation only through the ITBP chief.

Why it matters

The 2020 Galwan clash in eastern Ladakh, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, led to years of strained ties. Any prolonged friction along the eastern sector could complicate the gradual normalisation between the two neighbours.