What the ITBP chief said about face-offs with China in Arunachal, and why it matters

Speaking at the Himveer Samman Samaroh, the ITBP’s annual felicitation ceremony at the Central Training College in Alwar, Rajasthan, Director General Shatrujeet Kapur said that confrontations had occurred at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh and that the situation remained unresolved. The event was held ahead of the force’s 65th Raising Day. His key line was that face-offs had happened at several locations in recent days and were still continuing.

He then turned to what the force needs. According to reports, Kapur said the weapons the ITBP uses are about 50 years old and need modernising, and that drones let even a small country challenge a big one. He said underground shelters are key to this new style of warfare.

Why is it being called significant?

Two things make it notable. One is the source: Kapur acknowledged for the first time that face-offs had occurred at multiple locations and remained unresolved, more than a month after India and China held talks amid reports of tension in the Taksing area. The other is the gap in official messaging: the two governments have not publicly announced a settlement covering the locations Kapur identified.

Reports differ on how directly he framed it. One account notes he did not explicitly name China in the remark, though he praised the ITBP’s new Shaurya Commando teams for handling the situation. Other outlets describe him as confirming face-offs with Chinese troops. His public remarks also did not fully detail the circumstances or the status of individual locations, and no violence or casualties have been reported in connection with the latest face-offs.

What is the background?

The face-off is understood to have begun in late July, when Indian and Chinese patrols came face to face near Taksing in Upper Subansiri district. An unnamed official told The Hindu the troops met during routine patrolling near Maja. Outlook reported a stand-off near Asaphila since late July.

In August, the Ministry of External Affairs said border affairs are of utmost importance to India and will reflect on the state of wider ties. It also reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an inalienable and integral part of India. China claims the state, a position New Delhi rejects, and there has been no independently verified Chinese response to Kapur’s comments.

What else did he announce?

Kapur said the ITBP is changing how it prepares:

• It has spent 70 per cent of a Rs 400-crore modernisation allocation on drones and set aside Rs 1,000 crore for similar equipment under a proposed Rs 3,500-4,000-crore programme.
• It is expanding the Shaurya commandos into a specialised high-altitude fighting formation.
• He stressed counter-drone systems alongside surveillance, saying: “We have to move towards drones and anti-drone systems.”

Why the political row?

The opposition has seized on the remarks. Congress’s Jairam Ramesh accused the government of keeping quiet on the continuing face-offs and pointed to a record $112-billion trade deficit with China. Earlier, party president Mallikarjun Kharge asked the government to say whether the PLA had expanded its presence near Taksing and whether India had lost regular access to the patrolling point Shera-5.

The government’s position, as set out by the MEA, is that it treats border matters with utmost seriousness, is raising them through diplomatic channels such as the WMCC, and ties the border situation to the overall relationship. It has not publicly confirmed the opposition’s claims about lost patrolling access. Defenders of the government’s approach would add that continued talks are the way to prevent escalation.