ITBP Chief Says Face-Offs With Chinese Troops Continue in Arunachal Pradesh; Shaurya Commandos Deployed

Alwar, Rajasthan: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has said that face-offs with Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops are still continuing at several places along the Arunachal Pradesh border. Director General Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor made the remarks at an ITBP base in Alwar, just before the force's 65th Raising Day.

Kapoor told personnel that a situation had recently come up in Arunachal Pradesh where face-offs happened at several locations and were still going on. He said the force's newly raised Shaurya Commando teams had done a tremendous job there. The unit will gradually be placed in every border battalion as the ITBP builds up its readiness along its 3,488-km frontier with China.

"Biggest adversary" and new warfare needs

The ITBP chief described China as India's biggest adversary. He said conventional methods of warfare are no longer enough for the northern frontier, and that the changing security picture calls for more technology, specialised training and stronger combat capability.

Drones and funding

The ITBP has set up drone platoons in all its border-guarding battalions and is training personnel in drone operations and in developing indigenous technology. Kapoor said the force has received ₹400 crore from the government, with around 70 percent earmarked for drone warfare. He added that the Ministry of Home Affairs has given in-principle approval to a ₹4,000-crore modernisation plan, including ₹1,000 crore for drone and anti-drone systems.

New "Strike" course and Galwan

The force has also begun a new "Strike" training course to prepare personnel for combat situations like the June 2020 Galwan Valley clash. Kapoor said the whole force is expected to complete the programme by the end of 2027. In the Galwan clash in eastern Ladakh, 20 Indian soldiers were killed, and China later acknowledged the deaths of four of its personnel.

Infrastructure and living conditions

The ITBP is also building underground shelters in forward areas to reduce vulnerability in a future conflict, since surface structures could become targets in wartime. For troops posted at high altitude, the force is adding insulated barracks, solar water-heating systems, generator support for remote posts and cold-start kits that let vehicles run in extreme winter. According to Kapoor, these steps are part of a plan to turn the ITBP into a specialised mountain-fighting force.

Why the remarks matter

The statement is one of the clearest official acknowledgements of continuing face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh. In recent months, media and local reports have pointed to tension in parts of the state, including areas near Taksing in Upper Subansiri district, where repeated confrontations and limits on patrolling were alleged.

Political reaction

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh criticised the government, saying it has stayed silent on the reported incidents and that the concerns on Arunachal Pradesh have not been raised publicly at the highest political level. He alleged that, as in Ladakh, some patrolling points have slipped from Indian control. He also raised concerns about China's continued renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh and a proposed 60,000-MW dam, which he said could threaten the region's ecology and long-term water security.

The comments come as scrutiny of India-China border management continues after the military standoff that began in eastern Ladakh in 2020. Military and diplomatic channels remain active, but tension persists at several points along the disputed frontier, and India continues to invest in surveillance, mobility, drones and specialised high-altitude formations.