Face-Offs With China ‘Ongoing’ Along Arunachal Border, Says ITBP Chief; Congress Targets PM Modi

Tensions along the India-China border have come under fresh focus after Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapoor said face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces in Arunachal Pradesh had occurred on several occasions and were continuing. The remarks prompted Congress leader Jairam Ramesh to target the Centre, accusing the government of remaining silent on the developments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Speaking at an event, Kapoor said ITBP personnel had encountered several such situations in Arunachal Pradesh and praised the work of the force’s Shaurya commando teams deployed in the region.

“Several such situations arose inside Arunachal Pradesh, when face-offs took place, and that is still ongoing. Our Shaurya commando teams are there, they have done very good work. This was also a new initiative,” Kapoor said.

He also spoke about the evolution of the ITBP’s role along the China border, saying the force had initially been established as a mountain guerrilla force before taking on conventional border duties.

“As we know, ITBP began as a mountain guerrilla force. After that, we have handled the China border as a conventional force. Now there is no need for guerrilla war, but we have to establish our identity as a high-altitude force,” he said.

Jairam Ramesh Accuses Centre Of Silence Over Face-Offs

Reacting to Kapoor’s remarks, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh accused the government of making concessions to China and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response to the reported face-offs.

In a post on X on October 23, Ramesh said the ITBP chief had rightly praised the performance of personnel during recent encounters with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), but alleged that the Prime Minister and the government had remained silent.

Ramesh also referred to corps commander-level talks held at Wacha and Damai in Arunachal Pradesh last month following a face-off at Taksing. He claimed that local residents had reported the loss of patrolling points, drawing a comparison with developments in Ladakh.

The Congress leader further raised concerns over China’s renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh and the construction of a 60,000-MW dam, which he said posed risks to India’s ecological and water security.

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Congress Raises Trade Deficit, 2020 Remarks

Ramesh also cited India’s growing trade deficit with China, claiming it had reached a record $112 billion in 2025-26, compared with $99 billion in the previous financial year. He argued that the trade imbalance had hurt micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in several industries.

“Make in India has become Import from China,” he wrote, describing the trade deficit as a threat to India’s economic security.

The Congress leader also revisited Prime Minister Modi’s remarks of June 19, 2020, following the Galwan Valley clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. Referring to the Prime Minister’s statement that no one had entered Indian territory and no Indian post was under another country’s control, Ramesh alleged that the country had been paying the price for what he called a “clean chit” to China.

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

He further cited remarks attributed to former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane about the instructions he received during the Ladakh crisis, and referred to comments made by Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Rahul Singh regarding China’s role in Pakistan’s military campaign during Operation Sindoor.

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Ramesh also pointed to a public disagreement between Lieutenant General Singh’s account and remarks by retired Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan in August 2026, questioning Chauhan’s subsequent association with a think tank.

The allegations and assessments regarding the border situation, the government’s response and China’s activities were made by Ramesh in his post.

India-China Tensions Have Persisted Since Doklam Standoff

India and China have experienced repeated periods of tension along their disputed border. In 2017, the two countries were involved in a prolonged standoff in the Doklam area, which became a major political issue and was raised extensively in Parliament.

The latest remarks by the ITBP chief have brought renewed attention to reported face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh and the broader state of relations between the two countries.

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