Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to respond to reports that Chinese troops have prevented Indian forces from patrolling certain areas of Arunachal Pradesh. Kharge raised the issue amid reports of increased Chinese military activity near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), particularly in the Upper Subansiri region. The government has not immediately issued a response to the specific allegations.

Kharge questioned whether the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had expanded its presence near Taksing and whether Indian forces had lost regular access to Shera-5, a designated patrolling point. He also questioned why Indian patrols were reportedly limited during winter in the sensitive sector while Chinese forces maintained a year-round presence. Kharge further raised concerns about reports that traditional grazing and hunting areas had become inaccessible to local communities.

The Congress president linked the allegations to the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes between Indian and Chinese troops, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. He accused the government of failing to provide sufficient clarity about the situation along the border and asked whether the status quo that existed before May 2020 had been fully restored in Eastern Ladakh. Kharge also demanded that Parliament be informed about India's access to areas and patrolling points that were accessible before the 2020 tensions.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had raised similar allegations a day earlier, claiming that China had stopped Indian troops from patrolling certain areas along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh. He also accused the government of attempting to conceal the developments. Kharge, meanwhile, stressed that the Congress has full confidence in the capability of the Indian Armed Forces and that the country remains united in support of soldiers deployed along the border.

The Ministry of External Affairs has described border-related matters with China as serious and reiterated that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LAC remains a key priority for India. The ministry has also stressed that the condition of the frontier will influence the broader trajectory of India-China relations. These remarks came amid reports of heightened Chinese activity in Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Subansiri region.

China, however, has maintained that the situation along the India-China border is generally stable. Beijing declined to comment specifically on reports of increased Chinese military activity near the Arunachal Pradesh border. With political parties seeking greater clarity from the government, the allegations have brought renewed attention to India's border security, patrol access and the broader unresolved issues along the LAC.

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