Kiren Rijiju Rejects Tribal Body's Claim of Chinese Land Occupation

Union minister Kiren Rijiju has rejected the claim of a tribal body from his home state that the Chinese army has occupied parts of their land. He emphasised that there is no “intrusion” into the Indian side, though transgressions are committed by both countries from time to time due to the absence of clear border demarcation. “There is no intrusion. Transgressions from both sides happen due to the absence of demarcation,” he told TOI. The Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal West rued the lack of infrastructure development in the border region of state, the largest in area in the Northeast, during the tenure of earlier Central govts. He said that the Modi-led govt has prioritised building infra in the region. The allegation of Chinese incursion into Indian territory came into focus after a tribal body representing a community living along the border alleged that People’s Liberation Army of China has occupied parts of their ancestral grazing, hunting and farming land in Upper Subansiri district over the past six years, prompting calls for official verification.