Arunachal: Chinese troops reportedly intrude 60 km into Indian territory

Chinese troops allegedly enters inside Indian territory of Arunachal

Media reports say that Chinese troops of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have intruded at least 60 km into Indian territory in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh and have been camping for some time in the district's Kapapu area. 

Images of bonfires, spray-painted rocks and Chinese food  found at the site have been shared on social media, indicating that the intrusion took place recently  in the area. 

Arunachal shares 1,126 km of the border with China out of the 3,488 km long Sino-Indian border. In recent years there is huge tension bitween two neighbours. 

In October 2018, around 10 Chinese soldiers intruded about 14 km  near the banks of the Matu and Emla rivers in the Dibang valley in India, where they pitched tents, stayed there for a few hours and returned. They had also hired Indian porters and the photo was taken by one of these porters. 

In September 2019, Tapir Gao, a member of parliament from  Arunachal Pradesh Eastern constituency and then BJP state president for Arunachal Pradesh, released a video showing China invading Anjau district in Arunachal Pradesh and building a  wooden bridge over a nala. 

Two young men, Bateram Tikuro (35) and his cousin Bainshi Manyu (37), both residents of Anjau district, have been missing for more than two years in a remote area near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and their families said they were in the custody of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). 

In November 2021, an NDTV report said, "China has constructed a second village (a group of at least 60 buildings) in Arunachal Pradesh, about six kilometers into the area between the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the border inside India." 

The Chinese enclave was reportedly established in Arunachal Pradesh's Siyomi district  between March 2019 and February 2021. 

In August 2022, images widely shared on social media showed PLA soldiers monitoring infrastructure activity near Hadigulla Lake while three excavators worked on the site.

Meanwhile, Chinese troops entered Kapapu from where Chagragam, the nearest administrative offices in Anjau district, about 90 km from the McMahon Line.