New tremors: Editorial on India-China border tensions and persistent face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh

Speaking at an annual felicitation ceremony for personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Shatrujeet Kapur, the director-general of the ITBP, made a significant remark. There have been “face-offs”, Mr Kapur stated, at several points in Arunachal Pradesh that show no sign of abatement. National security is of utmost importance, and Mr Kapur’s observation should be accorded the priority it deserves by the government and by India’s security apparatus. What make the news significant are developments in the past and the present. China has maintained territorial claims on Arunachal Pradesh, often needling New Delhi by not only releasing Chinese names for…