ITBP Chief Says Faceoffs With China Continue in Arunachal

Indo-Tibetan Border Police Director General Shatrujeet Kapur said faceoffs between Indian and Chinese forces at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh were continuing, bringing fresh attention to tensions along the disputed border. His remarks were made at an ITBP event in Alwar and are the central official account of the reported confrontations; the incidents were not independently documented in the reporting described here. Kapur praised ITBP Shaurya commando teams for their work during the faceoffs. He also described the force’s changing role, saying it had begun as a mountain guerrilla force and later taken on conventional border duties. The ITBP, he said, was developing its identity as a high-altitude force. Government sources cited in reports said a standoff near Asaphila and Taksing had persisted since late July. They said Chinese troops pitched tents at an elevated location about 6 to 7 kilometres inside India’s perception of the Line of Actual Control, near the Maja company operating base in Upper Subansiri district. According to that account, Indian and Chinese troops first came face to face during routine patrolling in July, and the Chinese troops returned in larger...