India and China troops still clashing along Arunachal border, police chief says

Indian and Chinese forces are engaged in ongoing face-offs at several points along the border in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, according to the head of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

Speaking at an event in Alwar, Rajasthan, on October 22, ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Kapur confirmed that confrontations between the two militaries have been taking place at multiple sites across the state and remain active. The ITBP is the primary Indian security agency responsible for policing the frontier with China.

The remarks mark the first official acknowledgement of persistent frictions in the region following months of government denials. Since mid-year, local groups and media in Arunachal Pradesh had raised alarms regarding incursions by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In late June, a local tribal body, the Nah Welfare Society, submitted a formal complaint to administrators in Upper Subansiri district, reporting that Chinese troops had taken over territory near Taksing, including areas around Portrang Lake and Tingdingtang. The organization said the PLA had erected military installations, bridges, and road infrastructure on traditional hunting and grazing lands.

At the time, the Indian Army rejected the claims as unfounded, while state officials and government fact-checkers labeled circulated footage and reports of border clashes as inaccurate rumors. Further reports emerged of an armed standoff in the Taksing area in late July, which allegedly took roughly a week to de-escalate through commander-level interventions.

The tensions persist despite a series of diplomatic and military discussions between New Delhi and Beijing in recent months. Envoys met under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on border affairs in early August, followed by high-level dialogue between India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. Military officials also held a Corps Commander-level session in the eastern sector in early September, alongside informal leadership exchanges at regional summits.

The frontier between the two nations remains contested across multiple sectors. China claims roughly 90,000 square kilometers covering Arunachal Pradesh, referring to the region as South Tibet. India disputes Chinese control over approximately 38,000 square kilometers in Aksai Chin, along with thousands of square kilometers in the Shaksgam Valley ceded by Pakistan to Beijing in 1963. Relations have remained tense since deadly hand-to-hand combat broke out in Ladakh's Galwan Valley in June 2020.