(TibetanReview.net, Oct30’26) – In his first comments on reports of ongoing face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said Oct 29 that such transgressions have been happening along the border since China doesn’t recognise the McMahon Line.
“No doubt transgression has happened. It keeps happening; it is nothing new since the border is not defined. The situation is quite normal now and our Armed Forces are guarding the border very well,” the indianexpress.com Oct 29 quoted Khandu as telling reporters on the sidelines of the International Tourism Mart being held in Tawang.
“China doesn’t consider the McMahon Line in Arunachal and since the state shares a very long border with Tibet, China — around 1,200 km — sometimes patrolling parties transgress; our soldiers go that side, their patrolling parties also come this side sometimes,” the Chief Minister has said.
The report noted that a month after India and China held Corps Commander-level talks in Arunachal Pradesh amid reports of tension in the Taksing area of Upper Subansiri district following moves by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Indo-Tibetan Border Police’s (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur last week admitted that “face-off” had occurred at “several locations in Arunachal” and they were “still ongoing”.
The Ministry of External Affairs then said the following day that the situation along the LAC “gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns”.
The report cited sources as saying Indian troops continue to remain deployed in large numbers in the area to prevent any escalation.
The Chief Minister has said the state was developing tourism potential for all border areas in the state. “In fact, most of our tourist spots are located in border areas. However, since this is a strategic state, permits are required and access is controlled,” he has said.
One of the famous landmarks in the state is Holy Waterfalls (Chumi Gyatsa, a sacred collection of 108 cascading streams located in Tawang district), which is revered by Buddhists. It is located just 250 metres from the LAC and is visited daily by thousands of tourists. This is ensured through coordination between the ITBP, the Army, and the local administration, the report said.