The home ministry has asked central security agencies to deploy more intelligence officials in “sensitive” zones along the Line of Actual Control, looking to increase vigil and avert further Chinese incursions, government sources said on Saturday.
“The deployment of more intelligence officials, especially in the zones that have witnessed confrontations with the Chinese army in the recent past, will bolster the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and border security,” a security official attached to the home ministry said.
An increase in intelligence inputs from the central agencies, he said, will help the ITBP curb any fresh transgression attempts by Chinese troops.
The army chief, General Upendra Dwivedi, had earlier this month said the situation along the China frontier remained “stable but needs constant vigil”.
According to the security official, the Indian Army and the ITBP have identified at least 20 “sensitive” spots along the disputed China frontier that are prone to intrusions and incursions.
He said measures were being taken to bolster operational and infrastructure capabilities along the frontier.
“Additional cameras and sensors have already been installed along the LAC, and satellite imagery is being used to keep a tab on Chinese troop movements,” he said.
The ITBP, a central paramilitary force, is the country’s first line of defence along its 3,488km China frontier that runs from Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh via Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Large stretches of the frontier are disputed.
The home ministry receives regular reports from the ITBP on the status of the deployment and the ground situation.
“Recently, they (the ITBP) also submitted a blueprint on fortifying the force to secure the border, highlighting the need for intensifying patrolling in several sensitive zones,” the security official said.
China’s army is estimated to be still occupying close to 1,000sqkm of India-claimed territory in eastern Ladakh despite several disengagement agreements since the May 2020 incursions.
The Chinese disengagement from the Galwan Valley, Pangong Lake, Hot Springs and Gogra has been “partial”, with Indian troops too retreating by an equal distance to create “buffer zones” that are out of bounds for both countries’ troops.
Military veterans have slammed the government for agreeing to the buffer zones, saying this amounted to India ceding further territory.
According to an agreement with Beijing in 2024, the Chinese army disengaged fully from the last two incursion points — the Depsang Plains and Demchok.
The two sides are, however, yet to de-escalate the situation and continue to forward-deploy over 60,000 troops each as well as heavy weaponry along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
Uncertainty persists over the fate of the buffer zones, too.