India is strong, watch Dhurandhar: Arunachal minister on ITBP chief's border remark

Arunachal Pradesh minister and BJP MLA Balo Raja on Wednesday asserted that India was "very strong" and questioned remarks attributed to ITBP chief Shatrujeet Singh Kapur about continuing India-China border face-offs, urging people to watch the spy thriller Dhurandhar to understand the country's growing intelligence capabilities.Speaking to reporters in Itanagar, Raja reacted to reports about the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) leadership's remarks on continuing face-offs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He said India should not be perceived as weak and cited the country's growing intelligence capabilities to make his point."Why make statements like that when you are a DIG? Why perceive yourself as weak? India is very strong. You must have seen the 'Dhurandhar' movie; watch it, and you will see how much India's intelligence capabilities have grown," Raja said.Raja serves as Arunachal Pradesh's minister for Urban Affairs, Land Management and Civil Aviation. His remarks came amid a political debate following reports that ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Singh Kapur had addressed troops about continuing face-offs at various locations along the frontier in Arunachal Pradesh.WHAT ITBP CHIEF SAID ABOUT ARUNACHAL BORDERSpeaking at the Himveer Samman Samaroh, an annual felicitation ceremony for ITBP personnel held at the Central Training College (CTC) in Alwar, Rajasthan, ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Kapur recently confirmed that confrontations with Chinese troops were continuing at multiple locations along the Arunachal Pradesh border, marking the first official confirmation of ongoing face-offs on the northeastern frontier.“In the past few days, a situation arose where a face-off happened at several locations in Arunachal, and it continues,” Kapur said at an annual felicitation ceremony for ITBP personnel.According to the information provided, the confrontations have been ongoing since July, when reports emerged that Chinese troops were denying Indian forces access to key patrolling points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Taksing area. The developments suggest that military friction continued through the BRICS Summit in New Delhi in September, which Chinese President Xi Jinping attended.Kapur said the ITBP's newly raised Shaurya commandos performed exceptionally well during the confrontations. The commandos specialise in high-altitude warfare. The ITBP, established in 1962, guards the 3,488-km-long LAC with China. Kapur said the force was raised as a mountain guerrilla force and was assigned border-guarding duties along the Chinese frontier in 2004. He also stressed that the force should not abandon its original role.OWAISI SEEKS CLARIFICATION FROM CENTREOn October 24, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi raised concerns over the situation along the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh and demanded a comprehensive clarification from the Narendra Modi-led government on reports of Chinese intrusions and alleged restrictions on Indian patrols and civilians.Owaisi said the reported confirmation by the ITBP director general was a matter of serious concern. He accused the Centre of keeping the country in the dark about developments along the border and said his earlier questions on the issue had gone unanswered.MEA RESPONDS TO REPORTS OF CONTINUING FACE-OFFSEarlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified the government's position after reports attributed remarks about continuing People's Liberation Army (PLA) face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh to ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Singh Kapur.During its briefing on Friday, the MEA referred questions about the specific details to the Ministry of Defence and outlined the broader situation along the India-China border."Insofar as the specifics are concerned, I would refer you to the Ministry of Defence. As we have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns. Both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the Line of Actual Control. The two sides have also agreed to discuss ways to improve understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas for better border management. I would also like to emphasise that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations," the MEA said.- EndsWith agency inputs.