The Crossbill Team
Reports of Chinese military activity along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier have intensified scrutiny of the Narendra Modi government, with accounts from border villages, opposition criticism and recent military-level talks raising questions about the situation on the ground.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) director general Shatrujeet Kapur’s public confirmation that the Indian Army is engaged in standoffs at multiple locations along the frontier has added to the pressure on the Union government. The confrontations are understood to involve Chinese forces. While local media and political groups have raised concerns for months, the government has so far disputed claims of Chinese incursions.
A video report published in September 2026 by Bengia Ajum, a journalist with The Arunachal Times, offers a glimpse into the concerns of residents in Taksing, a village in the Upper Subansiri district. In the report, panchayat leader Prakash Hari describes how reports of Chinese incursions have been a subject of discussion among local people for a considerable period.
“In the last one or two months, you have found out about this, there was a press briefing, and the media has taken note,” Hari said.
“We have spoken multiple times about this with the administration and army. We have spoken many times but things have not moved forward,” he said.
The video features accounts from several people who describe a Chinese presence near Potrang Lake. Hari also points to movements of Chinese troops near grazing grounds around the strategically significant Shera 5 pass, raising concerns about the impact on the everyday lives and livelihoods of local communities.
These accounts have added weight to concerns that have surfaced repeatedly over the past few months. In June, the Nah Welfare Society alleged that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had expanded its presence near Taksing.
According to a report by Arunachal24, the organisation submitted a detailed memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of Upper Subansiri, alleging that Chinese forces had constructed roads, bridges and military camps in areas traditionally used by local communities for grazing, hunting and collecting forest produce. The memorandum claimed that these activities had intensified over the past 10 to 15 years, with a noticeable increase after 2020.
In August, The Arunachal Times, reported that a fact-finding team had alleged that PLA personnel were preventing Indian forces from accessing key patrolling points in the Taksing area and expanding their presence in Indian grazing and hunting grounds along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The four-member committee was constituted by the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA). It comprised former minister Kahfa Bengia, PPA vice-president Kaling Jerang, and party secretaries Sorang Kiokam and Narah Jimmy.
The controversy has also drawn attention to Shera 5, a location previously highlighted by former Union minister and BJP leader R.K. Singh. As The Wire reported, Singh had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain how many patrolling points Indian forces had “given up” since 2014.
“It appears that we have abandoned a patrolling point called Shera 5 in Taksing in Arunachal, and the Chinese have established a prominent position there,” he had said.
The government’s response to the allegations has remained a central point of contention. In August, Union minister Kiren Rijiju rejected claims that Chinese troops had penetrated 60 kilometres into Arunachal Pradesh, but acknowledged increased Chinese military activity on high ridges along the frontier. He also said that concerns expressed by villagers deserved serious consideration.
“Our people believe that our land extends further ahead, while the villages situated on the China side, including Tibetan and local people, claim that their land extends deep inside here. So, there is confusion,” Rijiju had said.
Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu and the Indian Army also rejected reports of Chinese encroachment.
However, a report by The Indian Express said that Corps Commander-level talks were held on September 6 at the Wacha-Damai border meeting point on the Indian side to address outstanding issues along the LAC. The meeting followed several rounds of discussions between local commanders on both sides in the preceding weeks.
On Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that “both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).”
Political criticism of the government has grown alongside these reports. In August, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi described reports that China was preventing Indian forces from patrolling in Arunachal Pradesh as “alarming”. He questioned the response of the prime minister and other senior members of the government.
“You know what is happening? I get information from Modi ji‘s office. A full revolt is on. China is preventing us from patrolling our areas in Arunachal Pradesh. Rajnath Singh (defence minister), Amit Shah (home minister) and Narendra Modi (prime minister) have been knocked off their stride. What are they doing? They are calling up media editors and trying to suppress this news,” Gandhi had alleged at a Congress event in Delhi.
The Congress has also expressed deep alarm over the situation, demanding that the prime minister address the country on the reported Chinese activities in Arunachal Pradesh.
On Friday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the government, saying it had issued “enough clean chits to China,” and that “PM Modi must come clean before India”.
In a post on X, Kharge described the ITBP chief’s confirmation of continuing face-offs along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier as “deeply alarming”.
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has also criticised the government over its handling of the issue. A day earlier, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said that “forces that should be protecting our borders are being deployed to stop citizens from protesting” and accused the prime minister of “putting national security at risk”.
With reports from border communities, allegations by political groups and confirmation of continuing military face-offs now converging, the government faces mounting demands to clarify the situation along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier and address concerns over access to traditional grazing grounds and patrolling areas.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) director general Shatrujeet Kapur’s public confirmation that the Indian Army is engaged in standoffs at multiple locations along the frontier has added to the pressure on the Union government. The confrontations are understood to involve Chinese forces. While local media and political groups have raised concerns for months, the government has so far disputed claims of Chinese incursions.
A video report published in September 2026 by Bengia Ajum, a journalist with The Arunachal Times, offers a glimpse into the concerns of residents in Taksing, a village in the Upper Subansiri district. In the report, panchayat leader Prakash Hari describes how reports of Chinese incursions have been a subject of discussion among local people for a considerable period.
“In the last one or two months, you have found out about this, there was a press briefing, and the media has taken note,” Hari said.
“We have spoken multiple times about this with the administration and army. We have spoken many times but things have not moved forward,” he said.
The video features accounts from several people who describe a Chinese presence near Potrang Lake. Hari also points to movements of Chinese troops near grazing grounds around the strategically significant Shera 5 pass, raising concerns about the impact on the everyday lives and livelihoods of local communities.
These accounts have added weight to concerns that have surfaced repeatedly over the past few months. In June, the Nah Welfare Society alleged that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had expanded its presence near Taksing.
According to a report by Arunachal24, the organisation submitted a detailed memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of Upper Subansiri, alleging that Chinese forces had constructed roads, bridges and military camps in areas traditionally used by local communities for grazing, hunting and collecting forest produce. The memorandum claimed that these activities had intensified over the past 10 to 15 years, with a noticeable increase after 2020.
In August, The Arunachal Times, reported that a fact-finding team had alleged that PLA personnel were preventing Indian forces from accessing key patrolling points in the Taksing area and expanding their presence in Indian grazing and hunting grounds along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The four-member committee was constituted by the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA). It comprised former minister Kahfa Bengia, PPA vice-president Kaling Jerang, and party secretaries Sorang Kiokam and Narah Jimmy.
The controversy has also drawn attention to Shera 5, a location previously highlighted by former Union minister and BJP leader R.K. Singh. As The Wire reported, Singh had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain how many patrolling points Indian forces had “given up” since 2014.
“It appears that we have abandoned a patrolling point called Shera 5 in Taksing in Arunachal, and the Chinese have established a prominent position there,” he had said.
The government’s response to the allegations has remained a central point of contention. In August, Union minister Kiren Rijiju rejected claims that Chinese troops had penetrated 60 kilometres into Arunachal Pradesh, but acknowledged increased Chinese military activity on high ridges along the frontier. He also said that concerns expressed by villagers deserved serious consideration.
“Our people believe that our land extends further ahead, while the villages situated on the China side, including Tibetan and local people, claim that their land extends deep inside here. So, there is confusion,” Rijiju had said.
Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu and the Indian Army also rejected reports of Chinese encroachment.
However, a report by The Indian Express said that Corps Commander-level talks were held on September 6 at the Wacha-Damai border meeting point on the Indian side to address outstanding issues along the LAC. The meeting followed several rounds of discussions between local commanders on both sides in the preceding weeks.
On Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that “both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).”
Political criticism of the government has grown alongside these reports. In August, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi described reports that China was preventing Indian forces from patrolling in Arunachal Pradesh as “alarming”. He questioned the response of the prime minister and other senior members of the government.
“You know what is happening? I get information from Modi ji‘s office. A full revolt is on. China is preventing us from patrolling our areas in Arunachal Pradesh. Rajnath Singh (defence minister), Amit Shah (home minister) and Narendra Modi (prime minister) have been knocked off their stride. What are they doing? They are calling up media editors and trying to suppress this news,” Gandhi had alleged at a Congress event in Delhi.
The Congress has also expressed deep alarm over the situation, demanding that the prime minister address the country on the reported Chinese activities in Arunachal Pradesh.
On Friday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the government, saying it had issued “enough clean chits to China,” and that “PM Modi must come clean before India”.
In a post on X, Kharge described the ITBP chief’s confirmation of continuing face-offs along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier as “deeply alarming”.
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has also criticised the government over its handling of the issue. A day earlier, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said that “forces that should be protecting our borders are being deployed to stop citizens from protesting” and accused the prime minister of “putting national security at risk”.
With reports from border communities, allegations by political groups and confirmation of continuing military face-offs now converging, the government faces mounting demands to clarify the situation along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier and address concerns over access to traditional grazing grounds and patrolling areas.
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