26 October,2026 11:12 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Uddhav Thackeray. File Pic
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has questioned the Centre's handling of border security following remarks by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor about continuing face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh.
In an editorial published in the party's mouthpiece, Saamana, on Monday, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party accused the BJP-led government of withholding information about developments along the border and failing to ensure accountability over national security concerns.
Kapoor recently said that confrontations between Indian and Chinese forces had occurred at several locations along the Arunachal Pradesh border and were continuing. He praised the ITBP's newly raised Shaurya commando teams for their role during the face-offs.
The editorial claimed that Chinese troops had crossed into Indian territory in the Asafila area, advancing six to seven kilometres and setting up camps. However, Kapoor's publicly reported remarks did not independently confirm the specific distance or all the details cited in the editorial.
The controversy intensified after the video of Kapoor's address was reportedly removed from the ITBP's official online channels. No verified explanation for the removal has been established.
The editorial alleged that the government had dismissed earlier warnings about Chinese activity along the border. It referred to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi's previous remarks on alleged Chinese encroachment in Arunachal Pradesh and accounts shared by local tribal communities and young people on social media.
"Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had warned a year ago that China was encroaching upon Arunachal Pradesh, but top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh, dismissed his statements as false propaganda and blamed him. Local tribal communities in remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh and youths who posted social media reels about the Chinese intrusion were similarly silenced, with the government dismissing their accounts as enemy propaganda," said the editorial.
The party also referred to former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane's memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, which remains unpublished pending the required review and approval process.
The editorial cited passages concerning the August 31, 2020, military standoff in eastern Ladakh, when Naravane reportedly sought operational directions amid Chinese troop movements. It alleged that the account raised questions about decision-making during the crisis.
The editorial contrasted the reported border confrontations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the BRICS summit in New Delhi in September.
It also referred to environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk's campaign highlighting concerns about Chinese activity in Ladakh, alleging that critics had faced political attacks.
The party questioned the government's response to the Pulwama attack, the Pahalgam attack and the latest border developments, arguing that national security concerns required greater transparency and political accountability.
