There is no evidence of any “slow encroachment” by China into Arunachal Pradesh, government sources told news agency ANI on Tuesday, dismissing claims circulating on social media as “attention-seeking ploys” without specific evidence.
The sources said occasional face-offs between Indian and Chinese patrols occur because the border remains undemarcated. However, such incidents are handled through established mechanisms and protocols, they said.
“There is no slow encroachment in Arunachal Pradesh by China as alleged,” the sources said.
They added that the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are equipped to maintain a strong presence along the border while monitoring and checking Chinese activities.
“Sensational claims like this without going into specifics are attention-seeking ploys,” the sources said, according to ANI.
The sources also pointed to China's long-standing territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing refers to as “South Tibet”.
During border talks in 1960, China had reportedly claimed around 69,000 square kilometres of territory in Arunachal Pradesh. They also referred to the 1959 incident at Longju, where Chinese forces attacked an Assam Rifles post and took control of the area.
The sources said the region has remained under adverse possession and has frequently drawn attention because of China's infrastructure development there.
The sources also recalled China's military operations in Arunachal Pradesh during the 1962 India-China war, particularly in the Kameng, Subansiri, Siyom, Siang and Lohit valleys. Following the ceasefire, however, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) withdrew to areas north of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), they said.
Arunachal Pradesh shares a long border with Tibet along the Great Himalayan range. The sources said India's sustained infrastructure development in the region in recent years has strengthened patrolling and surveillance capabilities along the frontier.
