ITBP chief confirms India-China border face-offs continuing in Arunachal Pradesh

First official confirmation after months of government denials over PLA encroachment claims

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published26 October 2026

Read Time2 min

The head of India's Indo-Tibetan Border Police has confirmed that face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces are continuing at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh, the first official acknowledgement of confrontations the government had repeatedly denied.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur made the remarks at an event in Alwar, Rajasthan, on October 22, saying confrontations are taking place "at several locations in Arunachal and it still continues."

The confirmation follows months of warnings from civil society groups and local media in the northeastern state, reported since June-July. In a letter dated June 26, the Nah Welfare Society told the deputy commissioner of Upper Subansiri that the People's Liberation Army had occupied Indian territory in and around the border village of Taksing, including Oying, Paniar, Marpan, Portrang Lake and Tingdingtang, and had built roads, bridges and a military camp on land used by local communities for grazing, hunting and collecting forest produce. The tribal organisation expressed "deep grief" over what it called the gradual occupation of ancestral lands, which it said has intensified since 2020.

The Indian Army dismissed the reports as "incorrect and without any basis," the government's Press Information Bureau Fact Check unit called videos of alleged advances "fake," and Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Mama Natung described the encroachment claims as "just rumors." Reports and videos of skirmishes in the Taksing Circle on July 25-26 said the confrontation continued for nearly a week before senior commanders from both sides brought it under control.

The confirmation comes after a series of bilateral contacts this year, including a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Delhi on September 12 and the first Corps Commander-level talks in the Eastern Sector on September 6. The Diplomat also reported that the government has pulled ITBP companies off the border and redeployed them in Delhi amid anti-government protests. The entire India-China border is disputed, with both countries holding different views of where the Line of Actual Control runs.

RSS

The Daily Edition

The front page in your inbox each weekday morning: the lead, the picks, and why each one earned its place.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The confirmation is the first official admission of ongoing confrontations after months in which Indian authorities dismissed the same claims as baseless, fake or rumors, shifting the public record on the state of the border.
The face-offs are continuing despite a packed schedule of bilateral engagement this year, including the Modi-Xi meeting at the BRICS Summit in Delhi on September 12 and the first Corps Commander-level talks in the Eastern Sector on September 6, raising questions about what further talks can achieve.
Border communities in Arunachal Pradesh say the PLA is occupying ancestral land they use for grazing, hunting and gathering, and has been building roads, bridges and camps there since 2020.

Background

The India-China border is entirely disputed. The two countries disagree on where the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, runs, and each claims territory under the other's control. China claims about 90,000 sq km that roughly coincides with Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan" or "South Tibet." India claims 38,000 sq km in Aksai Chin, occupied by China during the 1962 border war, and 5,300 sq km in the Shaksgam Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, which Pakistan occupied in 1947-48 and gifted to China in 1963. Beyond the 1962 war, which China won, the two sides have skirmished at Samdurong Chu in Arunachal in 1986-87, at the Doklam trijunction in 2017 and at Galwan in Ladakh in June 2020, where 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers died. A 2025 Pentagon report listed Arunachal Pradesh among China's "core interests."

Key Perspectives

ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Kapur: face-offs are happening "at several locations in Arunachal and it still continues." Nah Welfare Society: the PLA has gradually occupied ancestral lands around Taksing since 2020 and has built roads, bridges and a military camp in the area. Indian Army: dismissed reports of PLA incursions as "incorrect and without any basis." Press Information Bureau Fact Check unit: called videos of alleged advances "fake." Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Mama Natung: described the encroachment reports as "just rumors." The Diplomat's Sudha Ramachandran: argues the confirmation shows recent talks have had little deterrent effect and that the government's denials weakened India's hand in negotiations.

What to Watch

Whether the Indian government issues a formal response to Kapur's confirmation and revises its earlier dismissals.
Any announcement of the next Working Mechanism or Corps Commander-level talks, after the September meeting at Vacha-Damai.
Further reports from civil society groups in Taksing on PLA road-building and camp construction, and any Chinese response to the Indian confirmation.

Sources

Face-Offs at India-China Border Are Continuing at Multiple Points, ITBP Chief Confirms · The Diplomat

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedFace-offs between Indian and Chinese forces are continuing at multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh, according to the ITBP chief.The Diplomat: “At an event in Alwar, Rajasthan, on October 22, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur said that face-offs are happening between Indian and Chinese forces “at several locations in Arunachal and it still continues.””
SupportedKapur said, “at several locations in Arunachal and it still continues.”The Diplomat: “Kapur said that face-offs are happening between Indian and Chinese forces “at several locations in Arunachal and it still continues.””
SupportedShatrujeet Kapur made the remarks at an event in Alwar, Rajasthan, on October 22.The Diplomat: “At an event in Alwar, Rajasthan, on October 22, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur said”
SupportedThis was the first official confirmation after months of government denials over PLA encroachment claims.The Diplomat: “Since June, civil society groups and local media warned of PLA encroachments into Arunachal Pradesh. Hitherto, Delhi’s response was to deny and dismiss their claims.”
Partly supportedThe government had repeatedly denied the confrontations themselves.The Diplomat: “Claims by civil society groups and media in India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh that Chinese troops have been crossing into Indian territory, which the Narendra Modi government has repeatedly denied”
SupportedThe Nah Welfare Society’s June 26 letter said the PLA had occupied Indian territory in and around Taksing, including Oying, Paniar, Marpan, Portrang Lake and Tingdingtang.The Diplomat: “In a letter dated June 26, 2026, to the deputy commissioner of Upper Subansiri, the Nah Welfare Society (NWS) said that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had occupied Indian territory in and around Taksing, including Oying in the Asaphila area, Paniar in the Chujarta area, Marpan in Marnafe, Portrang Lake, and Tingdingtang.”
Partly supportedThe PLA built roads, bridges and a military camp on land used by local communities.The Diplomat: “In addition to establishing a military camp in the area, the PLA has also built roads, bridges, and military camps in several locations traditionally used by local communities for grazing, hunting, and collecting forest produce.”
SupportedThe Indian Army called the reports “incorrect and without any basis.”The Diplomat: “the Indian Army categorically dismissed the “reports” as “incorrect and without any basis.””
SupportedThe PIB Fact Check unit called videos of alleged advances “fake.”The Diplomat: “The Indian government’s Press Information Bureau Fact Check unit dismissed the reports as ” fake; ” the videos did not pertain to the India-China border, it said.”
SupportedArunachal Pradesh Home Minister Mama Natung called the encroachment reports “just rumors.”The Diplomat: “Arunachal Pradesh’s Home Minister Mama Natung dismissed the reports of Chinese encroachment as “ just rumors .””
Partly supportedThe July 25-26 Taksing Circle confrontation continued for nearly a week before senior commanders from both sides brought it under control.The Diplomat: “The “ confrontation ” reportedly “continued for nearly a week before the situation was brought under control following intervention by senior commanders from both sides.””
SupportedThe Diplomat reported that the government pulled ITBP companies off the border and redeployed them in Delhi amid anti-government protests.The Diplomat: “In response, it has pulled out ITBP personnel from the India-China border and redeployed them in Delhi at a time when the border situation is volatile.”