Arunachal patrol row sharpens China border dispute

By Vishnu Raja

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has stepped up pressure on the government over allegations that Chinese troops have prevented Army patrols from reaching traditional points in Arunachal Pradesh, turning a localised border dispute into a fresh political confrontation over the handling of China.

Gandhi said on Friday that the Army had been stopped from patrolling at several locations and described the development as “extremely alarming”. He questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah, while accusing the government of attempting to suppress discussion of the issue. The government and defence authorities have rejected reports of fresh Chinese encroachment.

The controversy centres largely on Taksing in Upper Subansiri district, a remote frontier region where competing perceptions of the Line of Actual Control have long made patrol encounters sensitive. A fact-finding committee constituted by the People’s Party of Arunachal has alleged that People’s Liberation Army personnel have denied access to important patrolling points and expanded their presence around traditional grazing and hunting areas.

The committee, headed by former minister Kahfa Bengia, visited Taksing on July 10. Its findings added political weight to concerns already circulating among residents and local organisations about Chinese activity close to the frontier. A residents’ body had separately warned local authorities that Chinese personnel were occupying new locations in border areas.

Reports of a patrol confrontation have further fuelled the dispute. Army patrols from the two countries were reported to have come face to face near Taksing in late July. The encounter was said to have occurred about 2.5 km inside territory controlled by India. Chinese personnel subsequently withdrew, but were reported to have returned in early August and erected temporary tents. Defence authorities have described reports of new tensions and encroachment as unsubstantiated and uncorroborated.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has also dismissed claims of a fresh incursion. He has maintained that the Army remains in control and is safeguarding the state’s territorial integrity. His assurances, however, have not ended political debate within Arunachal Pradesh, where border communities remain particularly sensitive to changes in traditional access routes.

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union sent a delegation to Taksing on Thursday amid growing concern over the allegations. The move underlined the extent to which the issue has moved beyond national party politics and become a subject of scrutiny among organisations within the state.

Gandhi has linked the latest dispute to Modi’s statement following the deadly Galwan Valley confrontation in 2020 that nobody had entered or occupied territory on India’s side. Gandhi has repeatedly challenged that position, arguing that restrictions on traditional patrol routes undermine assurances that territorial access remains unchanged. Twenty soldiers were killed in the Galwan clash, along with four Chinese troops acknowledged by Beijing.

The argument carries additional political resonance because Home Minister Amit Shah said during the 2024 election campaign that China had been unable to encroach upon even a single inch of territory under the Modi government. Opposition parties have increasingly used reports of patrol restrictions to question such assertions.

The dispute also arrives during a delicate improvement in relations between New Delhi and Beijing. The two sides reached a patrolling arrangement in October 2024 that helped end their prolonged military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping subsequently resumed formal engagement, while diplomatic and military mechanisms were tasked with stabilising the frontier.

New Delhi has nevertheless stressed that conditions along the border will determine the broader relationship. The Ministry of External Affairs said this week that border matters were treated with the utmost seriousness and that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control remained essential. Beijing has characterised the border situation as generally stable and said diplomatic and military communication would continue.

Arunachal Pradesh remains another source of persistent friction. China claims the state as part of what it calls “Zangnan”, while New Delhi maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of the country. The dispute intensified again this week after Beijing objected to New Delhi assigning standard names to 27 geographical locations in the state, promp