MEA on LAC face-offs: What was said, what the ITBP chief claimed, what is unclear

What the MEA said: the border situation is disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns.

What the ITBP chief said: face-offs occurred at several Arunachal locations and were continuing, according to Apnlive.

What is unclear: the specific confrontations, which the MEA left to the Ministry of Defence.

Discrepancy: the ITBP chief’s name is spelt Kapur by some outlets and Kapoor by others, and only one report mentions a Congress reaction.

Not reported: any response from China.

Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks at a regular media briefing, according to Apnlive.

The remarks came in response to a question about statements by the director general of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, according to Business Standard.

Shatrujeet Kapur, as the name is spelt by Apnlive, said on Thursday, October 22, that face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces had occurred at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh in recent days and were continuing. Some outlets spell the name Kapoor.

The ITBP chief spoke to personnel at a force base in Alwar, Rajasthan, ahead of the force’s 65th Raising Day on October 24, according to the reports.

The ITBP chief said the force had mobilised its newly raised Shaurya commando unit during the face-offs, according to Apnlive.

The chief also highlighted drone platoons for border units and a new training course to prepare personnel for battles similar to the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, according to the same report.

Some reports quote the ITBP chief as saying that conventional warfare is no longer sufficient to counter China.

Jaiswal said that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the development of bilateral relations, according to Business Standard.

Jaiswal said India and China continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the Line of Actual Control, according to the same report.

Map of the Yangtse-Tawang area, Arunachal Pradesh (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0