Reports have surfaced alleging that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been restricting Indian forces from accessing key patrolling points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Taksing sector. A fact-finding committee (FFC) of the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) has claimed that the PLA is gradually extending its control over traditional Indian grazing and hunting areas. Government sources, however, rejected the allegations on Wednesday.
The PPA is a regional political party established in Arunachal Pradesh in 1977 and currently has two MLAs in the state’s 30-member Assembly.
The fact-finding committee, led by former minister and PPA chief adviser Kahfa Bengia, visited Taksing on July 10, 2026. PPA vice-president Kaling Jerang and secretaries Sorang Kiokam and Narah Jimmy were also part of the team.
The committee’s findings have emerged amid fresh concerns over Chinese activity along the LAC in Upper Subansiri district. Itanagar-based The Arunachal Times reported on August 10 that the four-member PPA panel found that PLA troops were effectively preventing Indian forces from reaching designated patrolling points and that alleged Chinese “incremental intrusions” were being consolidated on the ground.
The PPA claimed that the PLA had been restricting access to one of the patrolling points since 2023.
“The FFC described this as a clear illustration of how incremental Chinese intrusions are being consolidated on the ground,” The Arunachal Times reported.
A day later, The Times of India reported that the PPA had described alleged Chinese intrusions in the Taksing sector as “inexplicable yet irrefutable”, claiming they followed a “well-calculated, gradual and persistent” pattern that had developed over several years.
ARMY REJECTED PLA INTRUSION CLAIMS IN JUNE
Earlier in June, the Nah Welfare Society (NWS), a community organisation from Taksing in Upper Subansiri district, submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner alleging that the PLA had established camps inside Indian territory near the border with China.
The Indian Army rejected the NWS allegations on June 29, describing them as “incorrect and without any basis”.
Arunachal Pradesh shares a lengthy border with Tibet along the Great Himalayan range. China became India’s neighbour after the People’s Republic of China annexed Tibet beginning in 1950.
TOP CABINET MINISTERS MEET OVER ARUNACHAL CLAIMS
As concerns surrounding the alleged Chinese intrusion grew, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met at the Defence Minister’s office in Parliament House.
Government sources on Wednesday dismissed social media claims of a “slow encroachment” by China in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are “geared up to dominate the border, monitor and check Chinese activities”.
The PPA’s findings also come shortly after India rejected China’s objection to New Delhi formally marking 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh on its official maps. India maintained that the northeastern state is an “inalienable and integral part of India” and that this reality cannot be changed.
Responding to Beijing’s criticism of the mapping exercise, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India’s position on Arunachal Pradesh remained unequivocal.
INDIA'S PATROL ROUTE ABANDONED SINCE 2023: PPA FINDINGS
The most serious claims in the PPA report concern Shera 5 Point, an officially designated Indian patrolling location.
According to The Arunachal Times, local residents told the committee that Indian and Chinese troops had “a physical confrontation at the point in 2023”.
Indian forces reportedly withdrew following the incident and have not returned to the location, the newspaper said.
The PLA subsequently allegedly removed the remaining Indian markers at the site and began preventing Indian patrols from reaching the area.
The Times of India also reported that Shera 5 Point had remained “completely abandoned” since 2023 after a confrontation between PLA personnel and the Arunachal Scouts.
According to the report, Chinese personnel later removed symbolic Indian structures from the location and have since restricted Indian troops from accessing it.
The PPA committee described the alleged development as “a familiar Chinese strategy — gaining ground incrementally until temporary restrictions become an established reality on the ground”.
NO INDIAN FORCES' PRESENCE IN WINTERS?
The PPA committee’s concerns extend beyond a single patrolling point.
During its visit, the panel met local leaders, elders, intellectuals and residents in Taksing, Maza and Galemo. It also interacted with senior defence officials and Army personnel deployed in the region.
According to The Arunachal Times, one of the key vulnerabilities identified by the committee is the seasonal nature of Indian patrolling. Regular Army patrols are largely limited to April to October because heavy snowfall and severe weather conditions make movement difficult during the rest of the year.
The PLA, however, reportedly maintains its activities throughout the year.
The committee also highlighted the dependence on local porters to transport supplies to Indian troops. Their services are generally suspended during winter, which the panel said contributes to a significant reduction in the Indian military presence during the season.
The PPA warned that this could create a seasonal vacuum along a strategically important section of the LAC.
HAVE TRADITIONAL HUNTING GROUNDS BECOME PROHIBITED FOR ARUNACHALIS?
Another issue raised by the committee concerns Nanga Pahar, an area traditionally used by the indigenous Nah and Mara communities for hunting and yak rearing.
According to the PPA’s findings, the region has now become a strictly restricted zone for local residents.
The Arunachal Times reported on August 10 that the restriction had effectively given the PLA greater freedom to advance, describing the alleged intrusions as “calculated, gradual and persistent”.
The Times of India reported on August 11 that restrictions on local access had allowed PLA forces to allegedly deepen their activities towards the Indian side.
For communities residing in the remote frontier, the issue consequently goes beyond military patrols. Access to traditional hunting grounds, grazing areas and routes used by residents is also reportedly affected.
PPA DEMANDS ROADS, BASES AND BETTER CONNECTIVITY IN THE REGION
The committee has called for substantial improvements to infrastructure and a stronger military presence in the Taksing sector.
One of its key recommendations is to accelerate construction of the Border Roads Organisation’s (BRO) Nacho-Taksing road on a war footing. The PPA has also urged that the proposed 68-km BRO road between Galemo and Pokorla be given priority.
The Taksing-Pokorla road through Yaja and Huri should also be completed within a strict, time-bound schedule, the panel recommended.
The Times of India reported that the PPA had criticised the slow progress of the Nacho-Taksing road and described its condition as “pathetic”, arguing that inadequate connectivity restricts the rapid movement of troops and equipment towards the frontier.
The committee has also sought a helipad at Sipi 2 (Rest Point) and permanent Army camps at Sipi 4 and Sipi 6.
It has called for dependable grid electricity to replace diesel generators, along with better telephone and network connectivity at forward locations including Maza and Galemo.
According to the PPA panel, inadequate electricity and communication facilities are major factors affecting the morale of soldiers and local residents.
The Times of India quoted PPA president and Doimukh MLA Nabam Vivek as urging authorities to ensure that the proposed frontier highway project is not diverted away from Taksing, highlighting the town’s strategic significance along the LAC.
CHINA SAYS BORDER SITUATION STABLE, INDIA REJECTS CLAIMS
Amid the allegations, China’s Foreign Ministry said the situation along the China-India border was “generally stable at the moment”.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks on Wednesday in response to questions about whether the Chinese military had increased activity near the Arunachal Pradesh border.
“The China-India border situation is generally stable at the moment,” Guo said.
Indian government sources rejected allegations of “slow encroachment” by China in Arunachal Pradesh, maintaining that the Army and ITBP were “geared up to dominate the border, monitor and check Chinese activities”.
The PPA’s findings do not constitute an official assessment by the Indian Army or the central government. However, they have renewed attention on some of Arunachal Pradesh’s most remote frontier areas. The Indian government has not yet issued an official statement specifically addressing the reports.
