Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday dismissed reports of a recent Chinese incursion into Arunachal Pradesh, saying there had been no fresh capture of Indian territory and cautioning against claims that Chinese troops had entered 60 km inside the state.
Rijiju was responding to concerns over increased Chinese activity near Longju in Arunachal Pradesh. He said a village-like settlement constructed by China near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was located on land that had been occupied by China since 1959.
Rijiju said India and China have different perceptions of the boundary in the region because the LAC has not been clearly demarcated.
He said China had “cast an eye” on certain land that India considers to lie further ahead, while Chinese settlements and authorities claim the area on their side.
“It is not like they came and captured our village. That is not the case,” Rijiju said, adding that the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police have significantly strengthened patrolling in the region.
According to the minister, the People’s Liberation Army has constructed structures resembling a village at a location ahead of Longju, near the confluence of a valley and river.
He said the area was occupied by China in 1959 following clashes in which Assam Rifles personnel were killed, and that China further consolidated its presence there in 1962.
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“Right now, at our border point, our post is also present there,” Rijiju said.
He added that movement and travel between India and China in the area have remained closed since the 1962 India-China war, while acknowledging increased Chinese military activity along high ridges in the region.
Rijiju said concerns raised by local villagers would be taken seriously but warned against what he described as misinformation about Chinese forces making a deep incursion into Arunachal Pradesh.
He specifically rejected claims that the Chinese Army had entered 60 km inside Indian territory, saying photographs from Bangladesh and other locations were being circulated to support such claims.
“Spreading such misinformation lowers the morale of our Army personnel and security forces stationed there, and creates confusion in the country. This is not right,” he said.
The remarks came days after the Congress raised concerns over reports that China had allegedly denied India access to historically used patrolling points across the LAC in Taksing, Arunachal Pradesh.
China does not recognise Arunachal Pradesh as an Indian state and claims the territory as part of southern Tibet. India has consistently rejected the claim and maintained that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country.
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