ITBP chief Shatrujeet Kapur confirmed face-offs with China on record in Arunachal — a first. MEA blames Chinese patrols straying from agreed patterns today.
Updated: October 24, 2026, 11:30 IST
Quick Read
- At a felicitation ceremony in Alwar on Thursday, ITBP DG Shatrujeet Kapur said face-offs with China’s PLA are happening at “several locations in Arunachal Pradesh” and are “still going on”. ITBP briefly posted the video, then took it down, per News9.
- MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Friday the border situation “gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns”, calling border peace “essential” for ties. He referred specifics to the Defence Ministry.
- Flashpoint of recent months: Taksing in Upper Subansiri, where patrols came face to face in late July before Chinese forces withdrew in early August, per ThePrint. Congress’s Jairam Ramesh has demanded answers on patrolling access.
For the first time, an Indian official has said on record that Indian and Chinese troops are facing off in Arunachal Pradesh. The admission came on Thursday from ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Kapur, speaking at a felicitation ceremony in Alwar, Rajasthan.
Kapur said the face-offs were happening across the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal and were “still going on”, per ThePrint. He praised the force’s Shaurya commando teams for their performance. A video of the address went up on the ITBP’s social media on Thursday night — then came down. No official explanation for the takedown has been given.
What the MEA said
At Friday’s regular briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal didn’t name the face-offs directly, but his words left little doubt about who New Delhi blames for the friction: “As we have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces deviate from established patrolling patterns. Both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).” The quote is from PTI’s video of the briefing, carried by News9.
Jaiswal added that “the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations”, and that both sides agreed to discuss a better mutual understanding of the LAC in some areas. Asked for specifics on the face-offs, he pointed to the Defence Ministry.
The LAC, in plain words
The Line of Actual Control isn’t a fenced border with a line painted on the ground. It’s a loosely defined line of control running through the Himalayas — both sides patrol up to where they believe their claim ends, so patrol parties sometimes walk straight into each other.
That’s what a “face-off” means: troops meeting face to face, standing their ground, usually resolving it through established protocols — not a firefight. These meetings have happened for years. What’s new is an Indian official saying so, on record, at a public event.
A reset under strain
The admission lands in the middle of a careful reset. The relationship cratered after the Galwan clashes of summer 2020, per ThePrint. Since the October 2024 disengagement agreement, both sides have moved step by step: PM Modi met Xi Jinping in Kazan, travelled to China for the SCO summit in August 2025, and Xi came to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit in September. Direct air services are back, the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage resumed, tourist visas returned.
One of the reported face-offs happened during the BRICS Summit itself, ThePrint reported — a reminder that the reset and the friction are running in parallel. An on-record admission like Kapur’s tests how far the reset stretches. The security calendar is busy elsewhere too: Pakistan tested its Fatah-2 missile earlier this month, and Trump blocked an Israeli strike plan on Iran with India’s oil at stake.
Also read
- Pakistan’s Fatah-2 missile test: what India is watching
- Rubio: India-US trade deal “99% done”, weeks away
- Trump blocked Netanyahu’s Iran strike: India’s oil angle
The politics
Congress moved fast. General secretary Jairam Ramesh questioned the government’s communication on the matter and accused the Centre of maintaining silence on crucial border developments, News9 reported. The party wants immediate answers on whether Indian patrolling access has been compromised.
FAQ
- What did the ITBP chief say about China?
Shatrujeet Kapur said face-offs with China’s PLA are happening at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh and are “still going on”. It is the first on-record admission of face-offs by an Indian official. - Where is Taksing?
A remote pocket of Upper Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh. Indian and Chinese patrols came face to face there in late July; Chinese forces withdrew in early August, per ThePrint. - What is the MEA’s position?
Border calm breaks down when Chinese forces “diverge from established patrolling patterns”, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Oct 23. Peace on the border is “essential” for bilateral ties; both sides are using diplomatic and military mechanisms. Specifics were referred to the Defence Ministry.
Today, October 24, is ITBP Raising Day — and PM Modi praised the force’s “Himveers” this morning, per TOI.
